My recent Christmas sugar hit posts (Candy Cane Ice Cream and Candy Cane Meringues) might fool you into thinking that Chew Town desserts are all about sugar, sugar and more sugar. But I shall now aim to redeem my saccharine self by sharing with you a special sort of cake for those celebrating the Christmas Holidays with large groups of family and friends and wanting to offer up something a little more organic and suitable for those with intolerances.
It’s good to know that you absolutely do not have to sacrifice flavour to cater to all, and this Orange Chocolate and Honey Coconut cake is gluten free, grain free, wheat free, refined sugar free… and tasty. It uses coconut flour (which is notorious for not behaving like other flours) which adds a wonderful flavour to the cake, and its use causes the cake to have an almost thick mousse like texture (unlike anything I’ve ever tried before). The whole oranges, dark chocolate and honey also shine through to make this a wonderfully fragrant cake.
The simple syrup on top is basically just chocolate and honey combined to form an ooey and gooey topping and adding orange segments provides a zing and freshness.
Never fear if you don’t have or can’t find coconut flour (often sourced from health food stores), you can try using other flours or even plain flour if you aren’t gluten intolerant (just replace the coconut flour for plain flour and omit the boiling water).
Orange Chocolate and Honey Coconut Cake
Gluten Free, Grain Free, Wheat Free & Refined Sugar Free
CAKE
2 oranges
100g dark chocolate
125g good quality honey
5 free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups coconut flour*
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
2/3 cup olive oil
500ml boiling water
GLAZE
1/2 cup honey
100g dark chocolate
1 orange, segmented
Place oranges whole in a large saucepan and cover with water. Place on the stove over medium high heat and boil for one hour topping up the water halfway through if required. Remove from water and set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 160˚ Celsius and line a spring form cake tin with baking paper.
Half oranges and remove seeds then place the oranges (skin and all) in blender and blitz until smooth.
Break dark chocolate into pieces, place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for short bursts (20 secs at a time), stirring between each, until chocolate has melted.
Transfer orange mixture to a large mixing bowl and add melted chocolate, honey eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Sift in coconut flour and bicarb soda and beat again till combined. Add olive oil and boiling water and stir until a batter like consistency forms.
Pour into prepared cake tin and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside until completely cool then remove the cake from the pan.
For the glaze, break chocolate into small pieces and set aside. Place honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Be sure to stay close to the honey as the moment it boils it rises up and will be very very hot. Once honey has boiled remove from heat and stir in chocolate till completely combined. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly, then pour over the centre of the cake allowing the glaze to drip down the sides.
A little tip for the glaze is to place four pieces of baking paper under the sides of the cake to collect the glaze as it pools down the side. Then remove the paper once the glaze has started to set.
Serve with fresh orange segments and enjoy!
*NB: Coconut flour does not behave like other flours and is super absorbent which is why the boiling water is needed to thin the batter out after the coconut flour has absorbed all the liquid. The texture of this cake is unlike anything I’ve ever tried (almost like a thick mousse) and all accounts from the Chew Town’s taste testers were that it was a great cake with very strong and fresh flavours.
Just gorgeous! Love what you have created here Amanda…chocolate and orange are just divine!
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Gorgeous! I’m not usually a fan of honey with chocolate (I feel like the former overwhelms the later) but I’m willing to bet this may well change my mind!
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It looks so decadent, hard to tell it is grain free! Nice job 🙂
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Thanks Alyssa! It means a lot coming from you given your amazing healthy recipes!
It really does look decadent. Love your photo’s.
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Wow, this is such a dark and sexy cake! And I’m so intrigued by the mousse-like texture.
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This cake looks very dark and mysterious and I love the copper cake stand as usual your photos are fabulous Amanda.
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I love the combo of chocolate and orange! Such great flavor. This cake looks wonderful – thanks.
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such a beautiful cake! love how this doesn’t disadvantages those with dietary requirements! everyone wins! x
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It really is a great all rounder cake Tina!
Free of all sorts of things, but packed full of deliciousness. Stunning photos darling x
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Loving the moody photos! Looking forward to giving this one a try….doubt it will be as pretty as your though!
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How good does that cake look? I reckon I could eat the whole lot myself in one sitting!
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I looks amazing, just not yummy. I made it and no one liked it.
Hi love your photography! cake looks yum. Wanted to reconfirm that oranges have to be used with the orange peel? won’t it be bitter..? or i am reading it wrong..please advice:)