The Devil Wears Chocolate

This cake really needs no introduction…so it’s not getting one…. ;)

For the Cake

• 50g of raw cacao powderr
• 100g of coconut sugar
• 250ml of boiling water
• 100g of unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
• 100g of stevia
• 200g of plain gf flour
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder @steenbergsltd
• ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda @steenbergsltd
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract @steenbergsltd
• 3 medium eggs

For the Ganache

• 120ml water
• 30g of coconut sugar
• 170g of butter, cubed
• 300g of 70% dark chocolate, finely broken up

For decoration: Marbled Chocolate and Ruby Chocolate Shards

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350°F and line the bottoms of two 20cm / 8inch round sandwich tins with baking parchment and butter the sides.
2. Put the raw cacao powder and half of the coconut sugar sugar into a bowl with a bit of space to spare, and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.
3. Cream the butter and stevia together, beating well until pale and fluffy.
4. While this is going on – or as soon as you stop if you’re mixing by hand – stir the flour, baking powder and bicarb together in another bowl, and set aside for a moment.
5. Dribble the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar – mixing all the while – then drop in 1 egg, quickly followed by a scoopful of flour mixture, then the second and third egg.
6. Keep mixing and incorporate the rest of the dried ingredients for the cake, then finally mix and fold in the raw cacao mixture, scraping its bowl well with a spatula.
7. Divide the batter between the 2 prepared tins and put in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean, leave to cool.
8. But as soon as the cakes are in the oven, get started on your frosting: put the water, coconut sugar and butter in a pan on low heat.
9. When this mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so that all the chocolate is hit with this heat, then leave for a minute to melt before whisking till smooth and glossy….mmm my fav part!!
10. Leave for about 1 hour, whisking now and again – when you’re passing the pan – by which time the cakes will be cooled, and ready for the frosting.
11. Set one of the cooled cakes, with its top side down, on a cake stand or plate, and spread with about a third of the frosting, then top that with the second cake, regular way up, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, swirling away with your spatula and decorate as desired. NOW…READY TO EAT!