In the spirit of The Great British Bake Off, here is our contribution. This cake tastes good even without the Creme Patissiere. It’s gluten free, low gi (good for your waistline) and delicious!
Serves 10-12
150 ml regular olive oil (plus more for greasing)
50 g good-quality cocoa powder, raw is best (sifted)
125 ml boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150 g ground almonds (or 120g coconut flour)
Zest of one orange
1⁄2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 pinch of salt
150g Xylitol or 3 tablespoons of Maple syrup
3 large eggs
Preheat your oven to 170°C/gas mark 3/325oF. Grease a 22 or 23 cm/ 9inch springform tin with a little oil and line the base with baking parchment.
Measure and sift the cocoa powder into a bowl or jug and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny (but only just) paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.
In another smallish bowl, combine the ground almonds (or flour) with the bicarbonate of soda, orange zest and pinch of salt.
Put the xylitol or Maple Syrup, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a pale-primrose, aerated and thickened cream.
Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond (or coconut flour) mixture.
Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs
Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its tin, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the tin. Leave to cool completely or eat while still warm as a pudding.
For the filling
3 egg yolks
20g Xylitol
40g cornflour
½ tsp vanilla extract
300ml soya milk or almond milk
To make the filling, thoroughly whisk the yolks with the Xylitol until the mix turns several shades paler. Whisk in the cornflour and vanilla. Set aside. In a pan, heat the soya milk until it boils, then whisk into the yolk mix. Pour this back into the pan and heat it gently, stirring, until thick. Allow to cool.
Cut the cake into half. Spread the Creme Patissiere evenly on one side and sandwich together.