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.

Swedish Chocolate Cake

I simply HAVE to blog this recipe; it is absolutely amazing! I can't take any credit for it as I have used the recipe from one of my favourite bloggers, Linda over at Call Me Cupcake, a Swedish baker and food photographer. Go and have a look at her blog, and be prepared to be wowed!

The original recipe has no flour in it, but I did add two tablespoons of plain flour. It looks really dense in the photos, and I expected it to be very dense like a brownie, but honestly, it is as light as a feather! Truly, truly light, airy and gorgeous. It might be my new favourite...and so incredibly easy to make!

SWEDISH CHOCOLATE CAKE
Adapted from Call me Cupcake  

8-10 servings

 Ingredients

• 250 g butter
• 250 g coarsely chopped dark chocolate (70%)
• 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (100 ml) strong coffee or espresso (or water)
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 180g sugar
• 2 tbsp plain flour (all purpose), optional
• 1 tsp vanilla sugar or 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
• pinch of salt

To serve

• Powdered sugar
• Whipped cream
• Milk chocolate curls
• Raspberries

Directions

1. Heat oven to 175° (350F). Grease a spring form pan (22-25 cm / 8-10 inches) and cover the base with baking paper.

2. Gently melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan on low heat. When mixture is melted and smooth, stir in coffee, then set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whip eggs, sugar and vanilla until very light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.

4. Add flour and then stir chocolate mixture into egg mixture with a spatula. Stir until smooth. Add a pinch of salt.

5. Pour batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cake cool before removing it from the pan. I prefer the cake when it's been in the fridge for a couple of hours. Dust powered sugar on top.

6. Whip cream with some powdered sugar (to taste).
7. To make the chocolate curls, put milk chocolate in a warm place for a few minutes, then use a cheese slicer to make curls.

8. Alternatively, garnish with raspberres - the classic accompaniment to chocolate.

Luscious Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake

I have made this cake a few times now and it is absolutely delicious every single time. Usually I make it as a chocolate peppermint cake with crush candy cane on top, but this weekend I thought I'd add some orange blossom extract instead. I love the combination of chocolate and orange; it seems a popular one too.

I seemed to have become obsessed with my Nordic Ware Bundt tins and haven't used any other tins since I got them. They are seriously just so easy to use and look fab.

Anyway here is the recipe for this cake - I encourage you to have a go, it's easy to make and guaranteed to pleased!

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate and Orange Ganache

• Servings: 12
• adapted from Brooklyn Homemaker

For the Cake:

1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons bi carb soda (baking soda)
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup sunflower oil - or a similar neutral oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

For the Orange and  Dark Chocolate Ganache:

200g best quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used Sainsbury's dark cooking chocolate as it is dairy free and I simply like it)
3/4 cup double cream
1/2 teaspoon of orange extract

1. Place an oven rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 180 degrees C.

2. Liberally butter a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside. I actually use cake release spray and it works a dream every time.

3. Whisk water and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low for just one minute. Add the milk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.

5. Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes more.  Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. The batter will seem quite loose and liquid.  Pour into the prepared cake pan no more than three quarters full and bake for 55-65, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. If you have extra mixture because your tin is smaller, then pour into another cake tin and cook it as an extra bit of cake.

6. Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack. Once cooled you can trim off the uneven top to make it level, or just leave it as I did this time.

7. To make the ganache, heat the double cream in a heavy pot, just until it begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and add it to the chopped chocolate. Let the chocolate melt for a a few minutes or so, then whisk to combine. Add the orange extract.

8. Drizzle ganache over the cake while it’s still warm and liquid. Garnish with raspberries. Let the ganache set for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

10. Store in an airtight container - this will stay fresh for about 10 days, if you can resist it for that long!

Notes:

If you wanted a more intense orange flavour in the actual cake, add the zest of an orange into the wet mixture.

Raspberry and Elderflower Sorbet

We enjoyed it for pudding tonight - plenty left for tomorrow too!

It's been a busy few weeks which is why I haven't had anything new on the blog for a couple of weeks. This weekend, my son and I headed up to stay with our friends in Suffolk. They live in the country, with a huge vegetable patch and an abundance of raspberries. I love all the goodies we always come home with and this weekend it was a big container of freshly picked raspberries. Thank you, Anna, for the food and hospitality!

Hand picking the raspberries

What a stash!

I was thinking hard about what I could do with them that would do the lovely flavour justice.
Anyway, I turned to Donna Hay and searched her recipes and found so many choices. I decided on the sorbet as it was so simple and I knew it was something I could easily whip up. Have a look at her original here.

Raspberry and Elderflower Sorbet

 

Ingredients:

 

4 cups (500g) frozen raspberries  

½ cup (125ml) boiling water       

1¼ cups (310ml) elderflower cordial (see tip)  

 

Method:

     

Place the raspberries, water and cordial in a food processor and process until combined.
Pour into a 20cm x 30cm metal tin and freeze for 3–4 hours or until set.
Cut the sorbet into squares and, in batches, place in a food processor and process until smooth. Return the sorbet to the freezer for 1 hour or until ready to serve. Makes 1 litre.

Tip: Find elderflower cordial in supermarkets and greengrocers.

  

I froze the raspberries in a pan, covered in cling film.

 

Whizzing up the frozen berries, water and elderflower cordial. This cordial is readily available in UK supermarkets. This cuts through the sharpness of the raspberries to add a subtle sweetness.

 

The mixture prior to freezing.

Ready to serve - such a delicious flavour, so distinctly raspberry. The colour was actually a little darker, and gorgeous.