The Wholesome Cook: Free Recipe for ‘Wholesome’ Chocolate Cake!

In The Wholesome Cook, talented cook and award-winning blogger Martyna Angell offers an array of recipes that are both nutritious and delicious – and endlessly adaptable to dietary restrictions. Here’s Martyna’s recipe for a deliciously not-too-decadent chocolate cake:

CHOCOLATE AND ROCHER ICING CAKE

If you’re after a quiet indulgence cake this recipe combines a moist chocolate cake and an irresistibly good rocher-like chocolate and hazelnut butter frosting. A perfect celebration cake and one to impress your dinner quests with. The frosting doubles as, you guessed it, nutella!

SERVES: 10–12 PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES + 25 MINUTES COOLING TIME COOK TIME: 45 MINUTES

Cake:

1 cup water

1⁄2 cup unrefined demerara sugar or granulated stevia

1⁄2 cup rice malt syrup or honey

120g butter, chopped, or 100g coconut oil

3 tablespoons raw cacao powder 3⁄4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons vanilla powder or natural vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup wholemeal plain flour or teff flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Rocher Icing:

1⁄2 cup hazelnut butter (page 81), plus 10 extra hazelnuts, chopped roughly

40g dark (70% cocoa) chocolate, melted

1 ice cream waffle cone or gluten-free ice cream cone, crushed finely, or 2 teaspoons buckinis

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line a 22cm springform cake tin with baking paper.

Place water, sugar or stevia, rice malt syrup or honey, butter or coconut oil, cacao powder and bicarbonate of soda in a large saucepan over low heat. Heat, stirring, until butter melts. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer — the mixture will rise and double in size. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add vanilla and whisk in eggs.

Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl and add to egg mixture, whisking until just combined. Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool in the tin.

To prepare the icing, combine hazelnut butter with melted chocolate and half of the crushed waffle cone or buckinis. Mix well.

Scoop the icing onto the cooled cake, spread gently over the top and top with extra hazelnuts and crushed waffle cone or buckinis before serving.

Store cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 7 days. You can freeze any remaining slices for up to 1 month.