So today is my younger brother Andy’s birthday! Throwback to May this year in our favourite place as a family, Puerto Pollensa in Majorca, a spot we went to for 18 years and returned this year once again.
I’m heading over to Yorkshire to celebrate, so yesterday I spent some time in the kitchen creating an extravagant bake for him. We’re both massively into health and fitness (it runs in our blood), so after finding out his favourite flavour combo is chocolate and banana, this spurred me on to bake THIS beast of a devillish (but still healthy!) creation…
Ingredients:
For the chocolate cakes –
- 2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Dove’s Farm)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar (I used The Coconut Company)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (I used Lucy Bee)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (I used Meridian)
- 6 tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder (I used Kaizen Living)
- 2 cups cooked sweet potato or butternut squash cubes
- 1 large banana
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
First make the cakes: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease and line two identical shallow cake tins with greaseproof paper.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, 2 tablespoons of the cacao/cocoa powder and cinnamon in a bowl with a whisk.
Gently melt the coconut oil and maple syrup in a small pan, then remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons of cacao/cocoa powder. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Place the cooked sweet potato/squash in a blender (I use my Ninja Kitchen) along with the banana, eggs, vanilla and the chocolate sauce. Whizz up until thick and smooth.
Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and fold in to create a slightly thick, smooth batter. Divide this between the two cake tins and smooth out evenly.
Bake for about 20 minutes until risen, golden and cooked through. Leave to cool in the tins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the chocolate ganache –
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder
- 200g Quark or Coyo (for dairy-free option)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 cup cooked sweet potato or butternut squash cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make this at least 2 hours beforehand: Gently melt the coconut oil and maple syrup in a small pan, then remove from the heat and whisk in the cacao/cocoa powder until smooth. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Place the Quark or Coyo in a blender with the coconut sugar, cooked sweet potato/squash and vanilla plus the slightly cooled chocolate sauce in a blender and whizz up until thick and smooth. Scrape this into a bowl or tub and leave to chill to set.
For the chocolate cookies –
- 1 cup gluten-free flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten
Meanwhile, make the cookies: Mix together the flour, baking powder, coconut sugar and cacao/cocoa powder in a bowl. Stir in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and egg and mix to form a dough. Place teaspoons of the mixture onto a large lined baking tray with some space in between. Use a fork dipped in cacao/cocoa powder to press each one down to create a criss-cross pattern – repeat with each (you can make some different sizes if you like). Now bake for about 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees C until firm, then leave to cool completely.
Ready to assemble?
Now for the best part! Spoon over some ganache over the top of one of the cakes then place the other on top. Spread the remaining ganache over the top to cover. Arrange the cookies however you want on top, then scatter over cacao nibs and drizzle with some Choc Shot to finish. NOW SLICE UP AND SERVE!
