Michaela’s cakes: raspberry and chocolate delight
In my novel, The Yellow Dinghy Cafe, Michaela, one of the main characters meets a kid with Coeliac disease and decides to embark on a culinary journey. Here is one of her creations, which I hope you enjoy.
Raspberry and Chocolate Delight
Cake Ingredients:
- 2 cups of gluten-free chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup of ground hazelnuts
- 3 eggs
- 1 and a half cups of fresh raspberries
- Half a cup of choc chips
- Half a cup of vegetable oil
- Half a cup of water (or more, if needed)
Topping Ingredients:
- 2 cups of thickened cream
- Half a cup of fresh blueberries
- Half a cup of fresh raspberries
- Half a cup of shaved milk or dark chocolate
Method (cake):
- Combine the gluten-free chocolate cake mix, hazelnut meal, eggs, oil and water. Use an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon and stir until homogeneous.
- Add more water if needed.
- Stir in raspberries and choc chips with a spoon, making sure not to pulverise the fruit.
- Pour into a spring-form, non-stick or normal baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Put into a pre-heated oven on mid to high heat.
- The cake is cooked when it is springy to touch (mine took about 45 minutes).
Method (topping):
- When the cake has cooked and cooled down, use electric hand beaters to whip up the thickened cream into soft peaks
- Spoon cream onto the top of the cake and gently smooth over to desired appearance
- Place raspberries and blueberries on top, then spoon over shaved chocolate
Baking tips:
Vegetable oil is best for gluten-free cakes as it is more moisturizing than butter.
Shaved chocolate can be made by turning over a block of chocolate and scraping along it with a dinner knife. Be careful with this and be sure not to press too hard. The ‘product’ will resemble wood shavings, some of which will be curlier than others. Don’t despair because the effect on the cake is great!
If you would like to buy my novel, which is a coming of age story about three friends who are grappling with career choices, study options, boyfriend troubles and much, much more, you can purchase it on various platforms, including Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones and Booktopia.
