Chocolate Orange Mousse Cake

This cake, or pie if you like, is AMAZING. It is so light and lovely....and best of all, it is dairy, egg and nut free. It could also be made gluten and soya free too. I can't claim credit for the recipe as it was shared by another allergy mum on a forum I am on. But it's by far one of the most popular posts on that site.

You could make so many variations to this too...swap the orange essence for mint, or add a few drops of a favourite liqueur for an adult version. To make it taste EXACTLY like a bounty bar, use milk chocolate instead!
For us though, it's perfect the way it is!

Oh and the best bit, it takes about 5 mins to make! (well the base needs to chill, but apart from that...)

What are you waiting for? Dive in!

Chocolate Orange Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

For the mousse:

• 1 x 400ml tin full fat coconut milk, chilled in fridge ( check the label for the highest coconut content - 70%+ is ideal)
• 200g suitable dark chocolate (I used Sainsbury's dark cooking choc as it's dairy free and yummy)
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 tsp orange flavouring (use vanilla if you want plain)

For the crust:

• Approx 10-15 bourbon biscuits - or Oreos will work too. To make it gluten free, substitute for a suitable biscuit.
• 2-3 tbsp of dairy free butter, melted. (I use Vitalite)

Method:

Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until good and crushed. Add melted ‘butter’ and blitz again until you get to a mouldable consistency. Press the mixture into the base of a loose bottomed cake tin and refrigerate.

Whip the solids from the can of coconut milk (if you use a brand with a high percentage of coconut extract [70%+] and chill first in fridge overnight, it should be fairly thick and you shouldn't need to drain any water off after chilling). I used a brand from the world food section - much higher coconut %, so had very little, if any, liquid to drain off.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, being careful not to burn it. Add the melted choc, orange flavouring and icing sugar to the whipped coconut milk and whip again until well incorporated.

While still silky, pour over the chilled crust and refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight to set.

Should last 5 days in the fridge - if you can resist!

You can make mini ones in ramekins too. And the mousse makes a great dessert on its own; just pour it into ramekins and chill.

Notes: 

• I often add raspberries to the top as they add a fresh element to this dish - delicious!
• If you overmix the mixture and it appears to set in the bowl, put it in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up ever so slightly and use as normal.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

This is my first foray into making gluten free cakes, and I must say I was a little daunted. We have some friends staying from Australia, and two of their children have recently had to change to a gluten free diet. And it was their father's birthday today so to ensure everyone could eat the cake, I plunged in and made one!

Well, the verdict was....delicious! It was so light and fluffy, didn't taste 'gluten free' and most people went back for seconds! I topped it with my favourite coconut milk and dark chocolate ganache. I'm going to keep this short and sweet and go straight onto the recipe.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c (150g) butter , softened
• 2 cups (450g) caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp GF vanilla extract
• 2 cups (325g)  GF plain flour (all purpose) - I used Doves Farm
• 3/4 cup (80g) GF cocoa powder
• 1 tsp GF bi-carb soda (baking soda)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup (250ml) milk (I used coconut milk to suit my son's milk allergy)

Ganache

• 200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 c tinned coconut milk - the solids and some of the liquid

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180 deg C (350F). Grease the pan and set aside. I love my Nordic Ware bundt tins and I use cake release spray; it works a dream every time.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then eggs one at a time, mixing after each one.
3. In a large bowl sift and combine the dry ingredients together. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and then add the milk and mix for 2 minutes.
4. Spoon/pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 mins. Check it is ready by inserting a skewer onto the cake. Leave the cake in the tin for about 10 mins and then invert onto a wire rack to cool.
5. To make the ganache, heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan until it is hot, then pour over the chocolate, stir and let sit for a few minutes until the chocolate has melted. After a few minutes, stir until smooth. Pour over the cake and serve.

( We added sparklers to the cake for the wow factor, instead of candles, although they took so long to light that one was finished before the others started!)

Enjoy this delicious cake!!