I was going through my mum’s recipes the other day and came across a single layer chocolate and vanilla marble cake and it inspired to create a Coeliac friendly, low FODMAP version. I decided on this chocolate orange marble layer cake recipe smothered in a thick chocolatey icing and it turned out even better than I expected! If, like myself, you are a lover of the chocolate orange combination then I definitely recommend giving this recipe a go!
I used maple syrup in this recipe as, in my opinion, it is the best low FODMAP sugar available. Always make sure you are buying a 100% pure maple syrup as there are so many cheaper versions out there that combine maple with other ingredients such as fruit sugars, also look out for ‘maple flavour’ syrup as this is definitely not low FODMAP!
I have tried tofu as a base in desserts before and it creates an amazingly thick and creamy texture so I thought it would be perfect for this recipe. It sets slightly and reminds me of the calorific buttercream I used to love on my cakes, except it’s much healthier!
Serves 10-12
INGREDIENTS:
200g coconut oil, soft but not melted
160ml maple syrup
3 large eggs
140ml rice milk + 2 tbsp
200g rice flour
150g ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large orange
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
A few drops of pure orange oil (optional but enhances the flavour)
3 tbsp cacao powder
ICING:
100g coconut oil, melted
65ml maple syrup
30g cacao powder
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
Zest of ½ -1 large orange (depending how strong you want the flavour)
1 350g carton firm silken tofu
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 170oc and line two 20cm sandwich tins
- In one bowl mix together the flour, ground almonds and
- In a large bowl beat the soft coconut oil and maple syrup together with an electric whisk
- Add the vanilla, eggs and 140ml of the rice milk and whisk until smooth
- Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk again until combined and a thick batter forms
- Separate half the batter into another bowl
- In one bowl stir in the orange zest, juice and oil (if using)
- In the second bowl stir in the cacao powder and remaining rice milk
- Add alternating spoonfuls of the chocolate and orange mixtures into the sandwich tins to get the marble effect
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes have a spongy texture and a knife/skewer comes out clean, leave to cool slightly in the tins before placing on a wire rack
- While the cake is cooling make the icing by combining all the ingredients in a food process until smooth, you may need to scrape down the sides a few times to make sure the tofu is completely blended
- When the cakes have cooled, spread some of the icing in between the two layers, on top and around the sides of the cake
- Top the cake with your choice of toppings, I opted for a 2 tbsp of cacao nibs sprinkled over
