Crossed Grain

RECIPES WWW.COELIAC.ORG.UK 39 *Check our Food and Drink Information for suitable products. **adapted from Ultimate Chocolate Cake recipe by Angela Nilsen from BBC Good Food Chocolate cake layers** Ingredients • 200g (7oz) good quality gluten free dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids. • 200g (7oz) butter, chopped • 1 tbsp coffee granules mixed with 125ml cold water • 170g (6oz) gluten free flour mix* • ¹⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda* • 200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar • 200g (7oz) caster sugar • 25g (1oz) cocoa powder • 3 medium eggs • 5 tbsp buttermilk • 284ml (10 fl oz) whipping cream • ³⁄4 jar blackcurrant jam • icing sugar to dust • selection of berries, to decorate For the ganache • 200g (7oz) good quality dark chocolate • 284ml (10 fl oz) double cream • 2 tbsp caster sugar Method 1 You will need a few different sized baking tins to make this cake: two large springform cake tins (one a tube ring for the second layer), two medium sized Victoria sandwich tins and two small Victoria sandwich tins. Assemble them all and grease and line with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 2 Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heavy based pan. Add the coffee mixture and the butter. Heat gently until everything has melted 3 While the chocolate is melting, mix the flour mix, bicarb, sugar and cocoa in a bowl, getting rid of any lumps 4 Beat the eggs in a mixer until light and fluffy and slowly mix in the buttermilk 5 Pour the chocolate and flour mixture into the beaten egg and continue to mix until everything is combined and you have a smooth, runny consistency 6 Pour the mixture into the two large and two small prepared cake tins and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. The top does tend to crack like a chocolate brownie so don't worry. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack 7 Make the ganache by pouring the cream, chocolate and caster sugar into a pan and heating gently until melted. Put the ganache into the fridge to cool and thicken slightly (not for too long as it will go too hard to spread). Make the vanilla layer next. Vanilla sponge layers Ingredients • 170g (6oz) softened butter at room temperature • 170g (6oz) caster sugar • 3 eggs • 1¹⁄2 tsp vanilla extract • 170g (6oz) gluten free flour mix* • 1 tsp baking powder* • 3 tbsp full fat milk • 284ml (10 fl oz) whipping cream • ¹⁄4 jar blackcurrant jam Method 1 Beat the butter and caster sugar together until light in colour and fluffy. Slowly mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth 2 Add the flour mix, baking powder and milk and mix to combine 3 Pour the cake mixture into the two medium prepared cake tins and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before turning out. Assembling the cake 1 Place the large chocolate cake layer onto a board or plate and spread with blackcurrant jam. Drizzle some ganache over the jam 2 Whip the cream and spread or pipe over the jam and ganache. Place the second large chocolate cake layer (tube ring) on top of the cream and fill the hole with more whipped cream. Drizzle this layer with more chocolate ganache 3 Place a medium vanilla sponge layer on top of the chocolate layer, spread with jam and whipped cream and top with the second medium vanilla sponge layer 4 Repeat with the small chocolate cake layers except this time, drizzle with chocolate ganache as well as the cream and jam 5 Dust the whole cake with icing sugar, pipe the rest of the whipped cream around each layer and decorate with berries. Because this was a celebration cake for Coeliac UK's 50th Anniversary, I also used fresh roses and piped "Happy 50th Anniversary Coeliac UK" around the board so everyone would know what it was for. “I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2015 after struggling for years to get to the bottom of all my weird symptoms. I had to do a gluten challenge but was determined to get a correct diagnosis. I can’t thank Coeliac UK enough for all the help and support they give. So when I saw the competition on my Instagram feed, I thought it was my chance to say thank you to them. I was organising food for our church and needed to feed 200 people. It was perfect timing and I could make everyone more aware about this disease and show that gluten free doesn’t have to taste bad either! This cake is made up of two different recipes, including a chocolate cake recipe adapted to be gluten free from BBC Good Food.” BRON’S VANILLA AND CHOCOLATE TIERED CAKE