WHAT YOU NEED

For the cake
125g almond meal
80g coconut flour, sifted
20g freshly ground espresso-style coffee, plus extra for decoration
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
40g cocoa powder, sifted
100g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks, plus extra chocolate for decoration
170ml light oil (e.g. sunflower, rice bran, canola, light olive oil) or melted butter
6 large eggs, at room temperature
220g raw or white caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the mascarpone cream
240g mascarpone cheese
250ml thick (double) cream
30g gluten-free icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced) with the oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven.

Grease a 24cm round cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Whisk the almond meal, coconut flour, coffee, cinnamon, baking powder and cocoa together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Gently warm the chocolate together with the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat until melted but not hot. Set aside.

Add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and cream together until light and fluffy. (Alternatively, mix the ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer.) Add the vanilla and melted chocolate mix and lightly whisk to combine.

Using the paddle attachment, slowly add the sifted dry ingredients to the bowl in two batches until everything is just mixed together and the flour is completely incorporated.

Tip the mix into the prepared tin, transfer to the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking, until it’s just cooked and barely firm to the touch in the centre (the cake will become firmer as it cools).

Transfer the cake to a wire rack and leave it to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out and leaving to cool completely.

To make the mascarpone cream, gently whisk the mascarpone, cream and icing sugar together in a small bowl until thick and creamy.

Once the cake is cool, slather the mascarpone cream over the top with a spatula. Using a vegetable peeler, create shavings of dark chocolate, and scatter them generously over the cake. Sprinkle over a little ground coffee to finish.

TIP
As this is quite a rich cake, I recommend to serve it in small slices. The mascarpone cream helps to cut through that richness, so don’t be tempted to use whipped cream in its place.

STORAGE

This cake will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. When the cake is cold or frozen, it’s easier to slice (it will only take around 15 minutes to defrost).