Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cake

Posted on | by Free-From Heaven

A rich chocolate fudge brownie cake, swirled with caramel, coated with a rich chocolate ganache and extra caramel sauce to finish.

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Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cake

By Harriet Smith (www.harrietemily.com)

GF DF V

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 2/3 cup (80g) cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup (30g) millet flour
  • 1/4 cup (35g) quinoa flour
  • 1/4 cup (40g) buckwheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp water + 1 tbsp flax seeds
  • 1/2 cup (roughly) (60g) cocoa butter
  • 1/3 cup (65g) coconut oil
  • 1 apple (175g)
  • 1/2 courgette (100g)
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) maple syrup
  • 2 tsp water
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

For the caramel:

  • 1/2 cup (70g) coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup (35g) cashews
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water (90ml) water
  • generous pinch sea salt, to taste

For the chocolate ganache:

  • 1/2 cup (70g) coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup (35g) cashews
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) water
  • 1/2 cup (60g) cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • pinch sea salt, to taste

Method:

  1. PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 190C / 374 F
  2. Begin by making your caramel sauce and your ganache. Firstly, make the caramel. Add the water and cashews into a blender (I used my NutriBullet) and blend until a completely smooth creamy consistency has formed – this may take some time depending on the strength of your blender. Then, pour the coconut sugar into a pan, followed by cream and salt. Place the pan onto a low heat, and stir all of the ingredients together. Continue to stir the mixture fairly often – every few seconds or so, for between 8-10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and formed a caramel consistency. When this is done, pour the caramel into a bowl and move into the freezer too cool and thicken while you prepare the other steps.
  3. Now, make the ganache. Add the water and cashews into your blender  and blend until a completely smooth milky consistency has formed. Pour the milky mixture into a pan, followed by coconut sugar and salt, and place onto a low heat. Stir the mixture together for about 30 seconds – 1 minute until the sugar has dissolved. Then, pour in the cocoa powder and using a hand whisk, stir all of the ingredients together until the ganache is smooth. Then remove from the heat and pour in the olive oil. Stir all together until smooth and glossy. When this is done, pour the ganache out of the pan and into a bowl. Place the bowl into the fridge to thicken and cool for later.
  4. Next, make the cake mixture. Firstly, make your flax ‘egg’ by adding the flax seeds and 2 tbsp water into a bowl. Stir together, and set aside to form a gel consistency.  Then, add the coconut oil and cocoa butter into a pan on a low heat to melt for a couple of minutes. Whilst this melts, add the cocoa powder, quinoa flour, millet flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir all together until will mixed and set aside.
  5. When the oils have melted, pour them into your blender. Then, core and chop your apple, and also add it into your blender, followed by the courgette, 2 tsp water, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. Blend until a smooth liquid has formed. Then, get your mixing bowl with the flours, and pour half of the liquid mixture in, followed by the flax ‘egg’. Begin to fold and stir all of the ingredients together, using a spatula. Then, add in the remaining half of the liquid, and fold all together into a smooth cake batter.
  6. Next, remove the caramel from the freezer. Set aside 3 tbsp of the caramel for later. Spoon 1/4 of the cake mixture into one of your cake tins – I used 6″ (about 16cm) cake tins. Then, swirl 1/4 of the caramel on top. Scoop another 1/4 of the mixture on top of this layer, followed by another 1/4 of caramel. Your cake tin should be around 3/4 full. Then, repeat this with your other cake tin. When this is done, add the cake tins into the oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes until cooked, and you can put a skewer through the cake and it comes out clean.
  7. When the cakes have cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. When the cakes have cooled, remove them from their tins. Remove your chocolate ganache and remaining caramel from the fridge, and place one of the cakes onto a plate/surface to decorate. Taking a large spoonful of the ganache, place on top of your cake, and using a palette knife, spread until smooth and covering it. Then, take 1 tbsp of the caramel and drizzle on top. Then, place the other cake to sandwich them together. Using the remaining ganache, spread it evenly on the top of the cake, and around the sides to cover. Then, finish by drizzling with the remaining caramel. Lastly, slice the cake and serve!

IMG_9480-300x210About the author: Harriet has always had a love of food, and has always enjoyed teaching herself new ways of cooking. She decided to focus on creating plant-based food, as it’s something she has always been fascinated by, and wanted to eat more of. Harriet love’s the creativity behind turning more natural, simpler ingredients into something that can taste complex and delicious. Check out Harriet’s blog here, for even more plant-based recipes, and find her on Facebook and Twitter.