A delicious gluten-free cocoa cake

A delicious gluten-free cocoa cake for January. Many of us may have slightly overindulged during the holiday season and have every intention of cutting back with the aim of losing a few pounds. The only problem with this is that January can be a dark and cold month when we crave comfort food. With this in mind, Emma has created a delicious recipe that will literally allow you to have your cake and eat it.

GLUTEN FREE RAW CACAO CAKE

This recipe is super quick and yet tastes delicious and looks like you have spent hours making it.

This gluten free raw cacao chocolate cake only has 5 ingredients and is so easy to create.

Cacao is the unrefined, un- sugared dried ground cocoa bean and is really good for you.

Not only does it taste totally delicious, it has an incredible complex biochemistry and nutritional profile.

Cocoa is rich in polyphenols, which have significant health benefits, including reduced inflammation and improved cholesterol levels.  Sadly when we process this into chocolate and other products it substantially decreases the polyphenol content.

It is a wonderful energy booster, it contains a compound called theobromine, similar to caffeine it is a stimulant but it appears to have less of a ‘burn out’ after effect than caffeine.

Enjoy raw cacao in smoothies or a good 80% cocoa bar.

You can also make this in squares. 

Using  a 24 cm square tin and reducing cooking time by 5 minutes  

Serves 10 – 12

INGREDIENTS

200g unsalted butter preferably grass-fed
75g raw cacao powder, plus extra for dusting
6 free-range/organic eggs
220g coconut sugar or brown sugar
120g ground almonds

TO MAKE

Preheat oven to 160°C.
Lightly grease a 22cm springform cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
Place the butter chopped and cacao or cocoa powder in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth.
Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until doubled in volume.
Add the cacao mixture and ground almonds and gently fold to combine.
Pour into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until just set.
Allow to cool in the tin for a couple of hours until set.
Turn out and dust with extra cacao to serve.

Can be made in a 24” square tin, reduce cooking time by 5 minutes  

Serve with cooked berries and greek yoghurt 

You can contact Emma at Emma Marshall Nutrition. She works globally via Skype. She offers a free 15-minute consultation (the UK by phone, globally via Skype) details here. You can also follow her on Instagram where she shares some of her delicious recipes.

You might also like other sweet recipes created by Emma Marshall Orange and cocoa balls

WISHING YOU ALL A HEALTHY AND JOYFUL NEW YEAR

A footnote on how I spent my Christmas day.

Sitting in my sons garden round out camp fire. Well wrapped up in layers and my old sheepskin coat.

Raising a glass of champagne as a toast. We eat our Christmas lunch around a table in the garden. I was wearing a thermal vest, a cashmere polo neck and my chunky blue Cos sweater details here.