Chocolate Cranberry Christmas Mini Cakes (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free)
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yields: 5 mini cakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown rice flour (110 grams)
1/2 cup quinoa flour (60 grams)
1/4 cup arrowroot (30 grams)
1/4 cup cacao powder (30 grams)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup (80 ml)
1/3 cup olive oil (80 ml)
1/4 cup aquafaba (60 ml)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup rice milk (120 ml)
Cranberry chia jam:
1 cup cranberries (100 grams)
1/4 cup orange juice (60 ml)
little orange zest
1 tablespoon maple syrup
small cinnamon stick (optional)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Coating:
3.5-ounce dark vegan chocolate (100 grams)
1/4 cup rice milk (60 ml)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
fresh or dried cranberries
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C)
Line a 9" x 9" baking tin with baking paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, quinoa flour, arrowroot, cacao, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, olive oil, aquafaba, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and rice milk.
Add the wet mix to the dry mix and mix until well combined. The mix should be pourable, but not too thin in consistency.
Pour the mix into the prepared dish and smooth out the top.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven once ready and leave to cool down before carefully removing from the tin.
Place onto a flat surface and using a 2" round cutter, carefully cut out shapes. You should end up with 11-12 shapes.
Sandwich 2 together with a generous dollop of cranberry jam.
Finely chop the chocolate and place it into a small bowl. Gently heat the rice milk until boiling point, pour over finely chopped chocolate and stir until completely smooth. Stir in maple syrup and pour over top of each of the cakes, gently smoothing out the chocolate to drip over the edge.
Decorate with fresh cranberries.
To make the cranberry jam, place cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup, and cinnamon stick into a pot and gently heat for about 10 minutes until cranberries have popped and are soft. Remove the cinnamon stick and mash the cranberries with a fork until smooth. Stir in chia seeds and leave to cool down for a bit before transferring into the fridge to set.
Notes:
I’ve made another version of these cakes, which are more moist with cranberry puree. Use 120ml (1/2 cup) maple syrup, 80ml (1/3 cup) rice milk, and add 120ml (1/2 cup) cranberry puree (make exactly the same amount as in the chia jam and blend until smooth, omit the chia seeds)
Please note that I’ve used the holly leaf purely for the photos, as these are not edible. If you like something green, a little sprig of rosemary would also look lovely.
Nutritional Facts:
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 539Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 115mgCarbohydrates: 76gFiber: 6gSugar: 38gProtein: 7g
Recipe courtesy of Nirvana Cakery.com
