Gluten-free chocolate cake and almond mascarpone

This cake is simple to put together and always a crowd pleaser. Simon serves it with almond mascarpone which is a wicked substitute for cream, you could even use it as a frosting if you didn’t want to have the chocolate garnish.

Almond marcarpone

200 g	Mascarpone (Main)
¼ cup	Almond butter
½ tsp	Almond essence

Cake

250 g	Butter
250 g	Cooking chocolate (Main)
8	Eggs, separated
250 g	Caster sugar
250 g	Ground almonds (Main)
200 g	Cooking chocolate, to garnish (Main)
¼ cup	Dried strawberries, to serve

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 24cm-round cake tin.
2. In a bowl combine mascarpone, almond butter and almond essence to a smooth consistency. Refrigerate until required.
3. To make cake, melt butter and first measure of cooking chocolate in a bowl set over boiling water. Allow to cool.
4. In another bowl beat egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and thick. Add ground almonds then stir in cooled butter and chocolate mixture.
5. Beat egg whites until stiff then fold into chocolate mixture.
6. Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin before turning out.
7. Meanwhile, melt second measure of cooking chocolate and allow to cool.
8. When ready to serve, completely cover cake with cooled chocolate then top with FreshAs freeze dried strawberries. Serve in thin wedges by itself or with almond mascarpone or plain whipped cream.
   Keeps well, wrapped in plastic film, in the refrigerator.

See more of Simon's sweet recipes:

• Hemp shortbread
• Wicked brownie fudge bars