Chocolate and Cranberry Cake

This is a great alternative to Christmas Cake, for birthdays or any other celebration.  It’s a rich, dense and chocolately cake serve with a creamy cashew or macadamia cream recipe in Sauces and Dips.

Testers and Tasters Feedback

“My husband loved it.”

 “Easy, healthy, delicious, don’t feel like I’m missing out.”

 “I enjoyed eating it and it provided me with a high scoring treat.”

Photo

Jacqui Hardy

Serves   14-16 portions   

Plants: 10

Preparation:  15-25 minutes plus soaking time for the cranberries

Cooking:  35-45 minutes

GF  V    NF Option   DF

Swaps

V:     4-6tbsp of whipped aquafaba

NF: leave out the brazil nuts and swap ground almonds for wholemeal flour, tigernut, chestnut and wholegrain flours.  Cooking times may vary.

Cranberries: exchange for dried cherries, or other dried fruit of your choice or leave out.

Avocado/EVOO: use butter or vegan alternative.

Dates or Prunes: swap with dark muscovado sugar, agave or maple syrup

Black Beans: the cake will not keep long with beans leave out if you want a dryer texture or if you want to keep the cake for longer.

Freezing

The cake will keep quite well for up to 5 -7 days in a cool place.  Note that with beans, avocado it does not keep as long as other cakes. 

This cake freezes well.

Ingredients

150g dried cranberries

2 tbsp of either rum, brandy, amaretto, cold tea, juice and zest of an orange

200g 70% cooking chocolate. You can use ordinary chocolate, but it might easily separate when melting.

125g dates or 150g prunes

50ml plant or dairy yogurt or milk

125ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or 125g Avocado or Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil

150g cooked and mashed black beans

5 medium eggs

200g ground almonds

2 tsp vanilla essence

2 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

150g brazil nuts roughly chopped 1/3rds to ¼ size

Option: Chocolate Topping

75g minimum 70% cooking chocolate

1 tbsp agave syrup

30g butter, coconut cream or vegan butter alternative

Method: melt together and spread on top of the warm cake leave to set.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C, 170C fan, 375F, Gas 5

2. Prepare your 24cm cake tin oiled and lined with greaseproof paper.

3. Soak the cranberries or dried fruit in the alcohol or a tablespoon of water, orange juice or tea, ideally for 2-4 hours or overnight.

4. Melt the chocolate:

   1. Slowly in a saucepan on a low heat stirring regularly.  Take off the heat before it is fully melted and stir until all lumps have disappeared.  Do not be tempted to do quickly as the chocolate will separate.

   2. Or put in a bowl and microwave on lowest heat setting 30 seconds at a time stirring in between until the chocolate has melted.

5. Soften the dates or prunes in a saucepan with a little water on a medium to low heat until mushy like mushy peas.

6. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, food processor or by hand, whisk the dates or prunes and avocado or EVOO together until smooth.

7. Add the mashed black beans , if using, and blend into the mixture.

8. Add the eggs one at a time and blend together, or the whipped aquafaba.

9. Add the cooled chocolate and blend together.

10. Add the ground almonds, vanilla essence, baking powder and cinnamon and blend again.

11. Stir in the dried fruit and its liquid and brazil nuts until they are spread evenly throughout the cake mixture.

12. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, maybe longer for the smaller or deeper tin.  You may need to cover with foil towards the end of cooking to avoid browning too much. 

13. The cake will feel moist when you put a knife in due to the melted chocolate.