NEW - Beech's Gourmet Packs - taste test !

We love chocolate here at Lancashire Food, so we were delighted to receive some sample flavours from the new Beech's Chocolate Gourmet pack range for taste testing. 

The packaging is sophisticated and ideal for a gifting occasion, the range comes in 12 varieties  including fudges, truffles and covered specialities. We chose 

Cacoa Truffle Roasted coffee - a decadent, rich indulgent  truffle with a rich coffee flavour, our favourite.

Dark Chocolate coated Ginger Pieces - Delicious dark chocolate with a warm rather than hot ginger centre. The ladies at my WI committee enjoyed sampling this flavour.

Milk Chocolate Coated Honeycomb - creamy milk chocolate covering chunky pieces of crunchy chewy honeycomb.

You can purchase Beech's Chocolate online or in high quality retailers.

Please also see previous post for Beech's Chocolate here and here

We were sent the samples on a complementary basis after being invited to give a review, all thoughts, views, opinions are our own. We were not expected to give a positive review.

Double chocolate banana bread, great way of using overripe bananas.

Dark and foreboding.... this is just the case, rich in chocolate flavours, you would swear it contains alcohol (it doesn't !) dense, moist and or so very moreish.

We've all experienced the guilt of overripe bananas sitting in the fruit bowl becoming progressively blacker and blacker, this recipe solves that dilemma. Based on a recipe by Smitten Kitchen this is an easy recipe and is an excellent way of using those manky bananas to their best effect.

What you need

• 3 very ripe bananas - mashed
• 1/2 cup butter (melted), or coconut oil. Cool slightly
• 3/4 cup soft brown sugar
• 1 large free range egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp chocolate essence( I get mine from Bakery Bits)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
• 1 cup plain flour (would probably work gluten free, but I haven't tested as yet)
• 1/2 cup of cocoa (I always use Green and Blacks)
• 1 pkt of dark chocolate chips / chunks

You will also require a 2lb loaf tin, oil sprayed and base lined. I prefer to use loaf tin liners

What you do

• Pre heat your oven to 180c
• Mix the mashed banana and butter, sugar and egg, essence in a large bowl or use a mixer.
• Sieve in the flour, bicarb, cocoa and salt and fold until just mixed 
• Stir in the chocolate chips and the scoop into your prepared tin
• Level the top and place in the pre heated oven
• Bake for 55 minutes or so until risen and tests cooked when a skewer inserted into the loaf shows its cooked through
• Cool for 10 -15 minutes in the tin on a wire rack and then remove from tin and allow to cool fully.

We are linking up to several challenges this month

      We should Cocoa, theme this month is Anything Goes, hosted this month by Tin and Thyme.

            No waste food challenge hosted this month by Utterly Scrummy Food for Families.

Chris & Christine Thomasson - Rivington Chocolates

Partners Chris and Christine  Thomasson are Horwich based artisan chocolatiers who formed  Rivington Chocolates in November 2014. 

Combining the best Callebaut sustainably produced chocolate with fresh tasty fillings using local produce whenever possible. 

They work from home, producing small batches to ensure our chocolates are always fresh, trying new flavour combinations and always looking to build and improve our product. 

They are excited to have made their first batch of bean to bar chocolate; 70% Ghanian dark; vegan – described as ‘Lush’ by a customer and it is hoped their second batch will live up to this.

Rivington Chocolates can be found every month at Bolton Artisan Market and other local events.

What is your favourite cookery or food book or publication ?

The Good Housekeeping Step by Step Cook Book, I've had it since I was 18; its been very well used.

What sentence sums up Lancashire Food to you ?

Tasty,comforting and full of surprises.

If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you like to be ?

A hippy or our cat Mo.

Which piece of kit could you not do without ?

I have a chocolate mould that is a beautiful domeshape- allows endless variations that look amazing.-

Who would join you at your ultimate dinner party and why?

Family and friends – always the most special times.

What advice would you give to your younger self ?

Be yourself, be yourself, be yourself.

Describe your style in three words

Classic, polished, and surprising.

What was your latest foodie gadget purchase ?

A grinder for making bean to bar chocolate

What is your greatest achievement to date ?

Rivington Chocolates and completing a triathlon

What is the worst mistake you have made ?

Not going with my instinct

Tell us a secret about yourself ? may be something we wouldn’t expect !

I'm a qualified scuba diver

Easter Treat - Marbled banana and chocolate hazelnut loaf, gluten free too !

We are hosting We should cocoa this month, so we just had to join in the fun. This month's theme is eggs and this recipe using eggs in two formats, the traditional hens type and liberal quantities of Crispy chocolate eggs. I am really happy as well as this post gave me the opportunity to utilise this beautiful Emma Bridgewater plate in the photography, which appropriately enough features both feathers and eggs in its design, I just love it....

The bake is a perfect Mothers Day or Easter treat and is a lovely easy recipe even though its gluten free, better the day after baking so the banana flavour is more prominent. Loosely based on a Good Housekeeping recipe but made gluten free.

Eggs are a celebration of Spring and new life so have a go and bake yourself a celebration of the new season.

You will need

• 50ml Sunflower oil
• 3 medium eggs - free range - beaten
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 ripe bananas -mashed
• 225g plain Greek yogurt
• 300g plain flour - gluten free
• 1tsp bicarb
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp xanthum gum *
• 150g chocolate hazelnut spread (check gluten free, most are)

To make topping

• 2tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1tbsp milk - skimmed
• 1 - 2  bags of chocolate crispy eggs - smashed (check gluten free)

2 * 2lb loaf tins - lined

What you do

• Pre heat oven to 160c
• Line your loaf tins - I use the prepared liners from the £ shop, but greaseproof paper will work fine too.
• Whisk the oil, eggs and sugar in a stand mixer bowl until pale, light and fluffy
• Add the banana, yogurt and flour, bicarb and baking powder and quickly mix, until you have an incorporated batter.
• Divide the mixture into two, into one half mix in the chocolate hazelnut spread
• Dollop (great word) blobs of each mixture into the prepared tins and then swirl with a knife to create the marbling.
• Place in the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour and 10 - 20 minutes, until you cakes are well risen and test cooked with a skewer.
• Cool in the tins on a wire rack
• To decorate when cool, mix the chocolate hazelnut spread with the milk and drizzle on to the top of your loaves, sprinkle with the smashed crispy chocolate eggs.
• Serve in decadent slices, store in the fridge covered with foil for a couple of days if it lasts that long.

We are also linking up to Dom over at Belleau Kitchen for Simply Eggcellent

                                                         
To Caroles Chatter - Food on Friday - Easter Foods

                                                           


Bake of the Week - Over at Casa Costello and new co host Maison Cupcake


                                                           

We should Cocoa - March 2016 - Eggs ! all types

Eggs that most versatile of Ingredients are this months theme for We Should Cocoa, it doesn't matter whether its hens eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs or even chocolate eggs (well its nearly easter and Ostara after all !).

I am  so excited to be hosting my favourite blogging challenge this month, its status in food blogging circles is legendary, created by Choclette of Tin and Thyme fame and Chele of Chocolate Teapot, We Should Cocoa has been running for over 5 years, You can use any sort of chocolate or cocoa substance and use any ingredient that you like. But you must include the special ingredient or theme selected by the host, so in this month's case EGGS. It can be sweet or savoury, simple or complicated and you can be as creative as you like. You can use anyone’s recipe (acknowledging the source of course) or make up your own.

                                                            


Last months theme was BUTTER hosted by Choclette herself and the round up can be found here

To join in the fun

• Post your recipe on your blog – accompanying photographs would be nice. Do please make sure you have permission to use any photos that are not your own.
• Mention “We Should Cocoa” in your post and link back to Tin and Thyme and the host blog, so for this month thats me - Lancashire Food.
• Only one entry per challenge please and it must be posted in the relevant month.
• Entry is usually via linky.Please find below
• Entries should be submitted no later than midnight of the 25th March 2016 for this month.
• The round up of entries will be posted on the relevant host’s blog on or before the last day of the month.
• The new challenge will be posted on the 1st of the month on Tin and Thyme.
• Please use the #weshouldcocoa hashtag on Twitter and Choclette and myself will endeavour to retweet.
• Feel free to add your entry to the We Should Cocoa group board on Pinterest. If you are not already a member and would like to join, please ask Choclette for access.
• By linking up you are giving consent for your image to be included in the monthly round up as well as possibly being shared on social media channels such as Twitter and Pinterest.

Given that the theme links eggcellently (sorry !) with Simply Eggcellent over with Dom at Belleau Kitchen you might want to pop over and join his linky too. 

                                                            

Please find the linky below

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Andrew Whiting - Beech's Fine Chocolates, Preston

This months foodie is Andrew Whiting - Chairman of Beechs Fine Chocolates, Preston. A wonderful local chocolate company who's chocolates are absolutely delicious, they even have a range of chocolates suitable for vegans. Their fine chocolates can be found online or via many fine retailers. Onto our questions, you know the drill......

Recently featured on BBC Televisions "Who's the Boss !" the company has been making chocolate since 1920.

What is your favourite cookery or food book or publication ?

I learned to cook for myself at university and then found I could “mimic” most things I had eaten elsewhere. I enjoy cooking but would love to know how to make amazing ring doughnuts and French macaroons.  My favourite food writer is Nigella Lawson.

What sentence sums up Lancashire Food to you ?

Lancashire food is delicious and I’d say “Oooh aaar, that were greeeat!”

If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you like to be?

Since I was a boy I have always wanted to be a pirate. However, these days I think I would be happy travelling around the world on a long holiday, but I admit that still sounds a bit like being a pirate.

Which piece of kit could you not do without?

I think my iPad would be very difficult to do without. I use it for everything and I write notes on all sorts of things while on the move. Recipes, meeting notes, research, novels and reminders.  The to do list is the most used item on the device.

Who would join you at your ultimate dinner party and why?

My guests would be my entire family and Jimi Hendrix, (if we are allowed a non – living guest from the past). My wife and children are all wonderful and there are a number of questions I would still like to ask Jimi.   

What advice would you give to your younger self ?

The advice I still give is “if you can imagine yourself doing something that you have never tried before, you can treat it as experience”

Describe your style in three words

Positive and fair

What was your latest foodie gadget purchase ?

Well I recently bought two smoothie drink makers which I know are a current trend.  They were Christmas presents for two of my children but if I had a smoothie maker I would make lots of different and delicious home made soup.

What is your greatest achievement to date ?

The greatest achievement was turning Beech’s Chocolates from a loss making company to a profitable company after the initial purchase. This took much effort and teamwork with the workforce. The food industry is a roller coaster.

What is the worst mistake you have made ?

Apparently this was when I once put a navy blue shirt on with black trousers

Tell us a secret about yourself ? may be something we wouldn’t expect !

Something I tend to keep secret is that I have never let the last drop of wine empty into my glass since 1978. This is a superstition from when I lived in France at that time. It’s supposed to be bad luck but apart from this, I believe that “you make your own luck.”

Gluten free, dairy free chocolate cake, with vegan frosting

I love this cake, its so virtuous but so so delicious and really you can't tell its gluten free or dairy free, its so moist and chocolatey and very decadent yet light even with the frosting.

Our latest cake club theme was free from cakes and as I  have made this cake a few times gluten free previously successfully, I wanted to challenge myself and make it dairy free too, as often ceoliacs also suffer dairy issues as well. Amazingly this cake is even better dairy free and the vegan frosting is fabulous and if I dare say it, I think I prefer it to true buttercream.

Apologies for only one photograph, but whenever I make this cake it disappears way too quickly, the recipe is based on Phil Vickery's Gluten Free Chocolate fudge cake but made dairy free and with a vegan frosting.

For those of you who don't normally bake gluten free or dairy free, you'll be relieved to note that the recipe doesn't call for loads of weird and wonderful ingredients, and you can find everything you need in any decent supermarket.

What you need

• Vegetable oil spray - for spraying your cake tins
• 225g plain gluten free flour ( I mix my own by using rice flour, finely ground polenta(cornmeal) and cornflour)
• 1 tsp xanthum gum (not absolutely necessary if you don't have it)*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarb
• 50g Cocoa powder (I like Green and Blacks)
• 100g vegetable spread (I like vitalite)
• 250g dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs - free range
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 tsp glycerine (not vital if you can't find it)*
• 200ml - dairy free milk substitute( I used Coconut Dream)

*Both these ingredients assist in the texture of the cake but its still good without them

For the frosting

• 200g icing sugar
• 50g cocoa
• 50g vegetable margarine (vitalite or pure sunflower are both good)
• 2 tbsp vegetable milk
• Couple of drops chocolate essence (optional)

Optional Dessicated coconut to decorate.

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Oil spray and base line 2 * 20cm round cake tins
• Sieve the cocoa, flour, baking powder, xanthum gum and bicarb on to a plate
• In a stand mixer, cream the vitalite and sugar until lighter in colour and fluffy
• Add the eggs, vanilla and glycerine and a little of the flour, mix slowly, continuing to add the flour, then add the milk to the bowl and continue to mix until a smooth well mixed batter is achieved.
• Divide the mixture into the 2 prepared pans evenly, level the tops and place in the oven
• Bake for approx 25 minutes, until the cakes test cooked with a cocktail stick
• Remove from oven and cool in the tins for approx 10 minutes and then on a wire rack until fully cool.
• To make the frosting, mix all the frosting ingredients in a mixer bowl and beat until you have a smooth fluffy frosting, cool in fridge before using to fill and decorate the cake
• The frosting mixture is enough to fill the cake and frost the sides and top
• To finish sprinkle a little dessicated coconut around the edge to finish

Beech's Fine Chocolates - Giveaway

60g bar selection 

Taste testing chocolate, oh its a tough job but someones got to do it !

Our friends at Beechs' Chocolates in Preston sent us a selection of their delicious chocolates for taste testing recently and what fun we have had.

Beechs' are some what of a Lancashire Legend, formed in 1920 this Lancashire Chocolate company have been supplying the fine people of Lancashire and  the world with delightful chocolate treats for nigh on a hundred years. Their factory is in Preston so pretty local to us and still in its original location.

60g Bar various

So onto our taste testing, we tried the dark chocolate selection first, the Dark Chocolate is 54 - 55% cocoa solids so its not a dark dark chocolate, personally I prefer a higher percentage but that a question of personal taste and we still really enjoyed the selection, the ginger  and mint crisp deserve particular mention , the ginger warming and aromatic and the mint cooling and smooth. The Lime and Chilli starts like a chocolate lime and progresses to a warm heat to finish. All in all a good range of flavours.

Dark chocolate / Dark Chocolate with Ginger / Dark Chocolate Lime and Chilli / Dark Chocolate Mint Crisp.

White Chocolate

Rich smooth and creamy, classic white chocolate with a distinct vanilla hit, melts well.

Selection of 60g bars

Milk Chocolate / Milk Chocolate Anglesey Sea Salt / Milk Chocolate Popping Candy / Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel / Milk Chocolate Crunchy Honeycomb

The milk chocolate is 30% cocoa solids and is noticeably richer in taste than the average high street bar, all the milk bars were creamy and we loved all the flavours, particularly the Anglesey Sea Salt and Salted Caramel as the salting was very well handled and just subtly added to the bars flavours. The popping candy bar is novel and lots of fun and was the favourite of Mr Lancashire Food, plenty of pop !

Gift Boxes

Luxury Chocolate Hearts - Decadent rich chocolate hearts with a thick praline centre in a lovely presentation box

I Love You - fine selection of white, dark and milk chocolate creams, pralines and truffles 

Milk Chocolate Coconut Macaroons - 9 square pieces of rich and very coconutty macaroon in a presentation box

Milk Chocolate Fudge - rich decadent dairy fudge thickly coated in milk chocolate.

We are loving the packaging, its colourful and bright and is traditional showing Beechs' roots yet modern at the same time, inside the 60g bar pack you will find a clear cellophane wrapper containing the chocolate bar, a bit of a surprise if you aren't expecting it, but you can clearly see what you are getting. The boxes are dinky proper little boxes of chocolates with a tray and corrugated topper and of course the lovely contents, the boxes make a great gift and are really pretty too.

Beechs' chocolate are available in many fine retailers including Booths Supermarkets, at various fine food fairs, QVC UK and also on line via their e store 

NOW FOR THE GREAT NEWS ! 

Would you like to win a Beechs Fine Chocolate Tasting Pack, just like ours ?

Well you can, we have one Prize of 10 of the 60g bars of chocolate (various flavours) and also the four gift boxes, just like in our taste test, delivered to UK addresses only.

Entering is easy, just use the rafflecopter widget to enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions

1. Complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries

2. Entries are by blog comment, Twitter, Facebook etc

3. Closing Date: 14th February 2016

(For more information on how to enter blog giveaways using Rafflecopter please see this short video


You can win more bonus entries by tweeting on a daily basis. Good Luck ! 

Chocolate and Pear Torte - Gluten free and so very tasty

The other weekend as per usual I was clearing out the fruit bowl as I was drawing up my shopping list of what I wanted to purchase for the week ahead. Just a couple of of pears remained still juicy but on the overripe side, my mind flashed back to a wonderful chocolate and pear tart I had eaten several years ago in an amazing trattoria in Tuscany, Italy. It was the sort of place were there was no menu and the choices were what was fresh from the market or the oven.

This torte is inspired by that tart, this one gluten free and a torte not a tart but equally beautiful and also doing a great job using up pears.

Its a simple recipe and is actually diary free if you use vegetable margarine as the chocolate flavour is coming from cocoa not chocolate.

Ideally you need a 23cm loose bottomed cake tin so you can remove the cake easily from its tin.

What you need

• 150g plain flour gluten free 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150g soft butter or vegetable margarine (I like the Pure range)
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g ground almonds
• 2 eggs - free range
• 50g Cocoa - I like Green and Blacks Organic
• 2 tsp Choco inglese essence (optional)
• 2 Conference pears - peeled, cored and quartered
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Oil spray

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Prepare your pears and toss them in the juice of the lemon to prevent them from going brown
•  Prepare your tin, base line and oil spray so you are ready for the cake mix
• In a large mixing bowl or ideally a stand mixer, combine all the other ingredients until you have a smooth mixture
• Turn the mixture into the tin, smooth the top and then artistically place the pear quarters on the top, just slightly pressing them into the mixture
• Place in the oven and bake for approx 45 - 60 minutes until the torte tests cooked with a cocktail stick.
• Allow to fully cool in the tin and then remove. Serve as it is or with creme fraiche, cream or Greek yogurt.

The cake will store for a couple of days in a cool place covered with clingfilm or in a cake dome. A very satisfying bake and one that disappeared very quickly.

We are linking this post to Bake of the Week created by Casa Costello and hosted this month over at Jen's Food.

Credit crunch munch as it uses some past their best pears, created by Camilla from Fab Food 4 All and Helen from Fuss Free Flavours   and hosted this month by Food Glorious Food

No waste food challenge over on Elizabeth's Kitchen

We Should Cocoa - who's theme this month is anything goes created and hosted this month on Tin and Thyme

Chickpea brownies, a healthy gluten free treat

Ever the one to try something different I have in the past made brownies with beetroot, avocado, dates and many other ingredients, this recipe is no different but the featured ingredient being chickpeas. Yes, folks chickpeas which make these brownies lovely and fudgey and deliciously gluten free. You can't detect the chickpeas at all in the bake, these brownies keep well for a few days in an airtight tin but I assure you they won't last that long !

The added bonus is you also get the must have ingredient of the moment - aquafaba or the humble juice from the bean can, which can be whipped up in many different delights and is a useful vegan egg substitute. More of this in the next post.

What you need

• 1 can of chickpeas - drained and rinsed, save the bean juice
• 2 free range eggs
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder - I used Green and Blacks
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp coffee extract
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pack of dark chocolate chips

What you do

• Pre heat oven to 180c
• Oil spray and line square approx 9"by 9" cake tin
• Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 25 - 30mins until cooked thoroughly, test with a cocktail stick
• Cool in the tin and cut into pieces after 20 minutes or so
• Serve alone or with creme fraiche or Greek yogurt

We are linking up to Bake of the Week over on Casa Costello

                                                            


And Recipe of the Week over on A Mummy Too


                                                                 

Chocolate orange quatre epices cake for Seasoned Pioneers

Who doesn't love a chocolate cake but ever one to ring the changes what about a spiced chocolate cake. Recently Seasoned Pioneers sent across a selection of their spices and intriguingly one of the packs was of their version of quatre epices.

You  may have heard of five spice (Chinese in origin) but Quatre epice was more unfamiliar to me, Quatre epices is a spice mix originating from France and the near middle east, a blend of pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger, hence the four spice name. Used in sweet and savoury dishes its a versatile addition to the spice rack, I thought I would use the blend in a chocolate cake to provide some "Christmassy" spicing yet with an adult twist as the pepper in the spice blend provides a warm heat to the palate.

I have made this cake a couple of times now and it was very popular with visitors, christmassy yet not overly sweet and with a nice spicy edge, nice served with Hot chocolate.

What you need

• 1/2 cup of Quality vegetable margarine
• 1 cup of light brown sugar
• Zest of 1 large orange
• 2 eggs - free range 
• 1 1/3 cups of plain flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa - organic if possible (I find it has a much better flavour)
• 2 tsp Seasoned pioneers Quatre Epices spice blend
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 cup of yogurt
• 1 tbsp skimmed milk

What you do

• Preheat your oven to 180C and oil spray and flour an 8" square cake tin
• Sieve the flour, cocoa, salt, quatre epice, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder on to a plate
• Cream the butter, sugar and zest in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, add the rest of the ingredients including the flour and beat quickly until you a smooth fluffy mixture
• Spread the cake mixture into the prepared tin
• Bake for 30 -35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean
• Cool in the tin and leave on a wire rack until fully cool
• To remove from the tin, loosen around the edge with a palette knife and invert sharply the cake should slide easily out of the tin.
• Place on a serving plate and decorate accordingly
• You may wish to slice the cake horizontally and fill with ganache or cream if the mood so takes you.

So if you fancy making something a little different for a festive celebration this is the cake for you.

Brazilian banana and chocolate chip tapioca cake - gluten free

This cake is a Brazilian love affair, made with tapioca flour (a staple in Brazil), bananas (10% of the worlds banana's are produced in Brazil) and chocolate (Brazil being the 6th largest producer of Cocoa bean in the world) this cake is my World Cup recipe. Personally I can't stand football and I would rather watch paint dry so I thought I try to get in the spirit of things by baking a cake that takes it inspiration from the country of Brazil.

Bahia, Sao Paulo, Brasilia are all mentioned in the classic track by "Brazilian Love Affair" by George Duke which I recall being played over and over by elder soul / jazz funk loving sister when I was a child and it all seamed so exotic and tropical, so here are some of the flavours of Brazil in cake form.

Happily for me Tapioca flour is naturally gluten free so is a great flour to be baking with here, fairly easily obtainable mail order or in your local health food shop.

This image is an image of an image of the cake on a tablet pc, Mr Lancashire Food being very creative ! when it comes to food photography.

What you need

• 2/3 cup tapioca flour
• 1 1/3 cup brown rice flour
• 3 large ripe bananas - mashed
• 1/2 cup oil - Coconut oil is nice but regular sunflower would work here too
• 1 cup soft brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (cardamon would also be good)
• 2 eggs - free range
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 bag of dark chocolate chips (I always toss in a little of the flour to prevent them from sinking too much)

This recipe makes 2 x 2lb loaf tin cakes, I used the ready to use liners but you could lightly oil and base line instead.

What you do 

• Pre heat the oven to 180c 
• Whisk up the sugar, eggs and oil until light and frothy, add the rest of the ingredients except the choc chips.
• Stir in until you have a smoothish mixture and then stir in the choc chips 
• Pour in the prepare tin, smooth level and bake for 50 - 55 minutes until golden and test cooked with a skewer
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes or so in the tins and then remove to a cooling rack.
• The flavour of the cake develops more fully the day after baking.

A delicious cake inspired by Brazil, it has a wonderful crumb structure and is not dry or gritty as often cakes containing rice flour can be. 

I'm adding this post to Bake of the week over on Casa Costello 

                                                          

Amaretto chocolate torte - Gluten Free

Chocolate cakes are always popular regardless of the time of year and this is a recipe I have been using for quite a while even before I went gluten free, the resultant cake or should I say torte is not a natural beauty but it is light, moist and very chocolately. The addition of amaretto and almond essence make this an adult treat and a cake that can both happily be served with a cup of tea or cream for a dinner party.

Whipped up in a flash this is an easy reliable recipe, which despite having a fragile top (as you can see from the photographs) is happy to sit in a cake for a few days whilst its devoured. Its also currently a favourite as it uses a good quantity of eggs and the battle of the egg mountain continues, 3 hens equals 3 eggs a day most days and as we are a 2 person household that's a lot of eggs. We do give to friends but most of our neighbours keep hens too so the market is limited locally.

What you need

• 200g salted butter - chopped into chunks
• 200g dark chocolate - broken into pieces
• 4 eggs - large and free range
• 200g caster sugar
• 50g plain flour (Gluten free)
• 50g ground almonds
• 1 tbsp amaretto
• 1 tsp almond extract

Greased and base lined round cake tin, loose bottomed or springform is best about 22cm diameter

What you do 

• Melt the butter and chocolate in a pan over a very low heat, keep stirring so it melts and is smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
• Whisk the eggs and sugar in a mixer until light frothy and the consistency of custard. This will take about 5 minutes.
• Add the chocolate and butter mix to the egg and sugar mixture and also the flour and almonds, fold in with a large metal spoon retaining as much air as possible.
• Once full mixed pour into your prepared cake tin and bake for 35 minutes until risen slightly and set in the middle. This is more of a torte than a cake.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin

This recipe is being linked to We should Cocoa created by Choclette and hosted this month over on Utterly Scrummy food, the theme this month is Gluten Free, so this cake qualifies.

                                                      

And I am also linking up to  Baking with Spirit , created by Cake of the Week and hosted this month over at The usual saucepans , the theme being a re-invented classic. This chocolate torte is a recipe I have had for a while but I have added the twist of amaretto and almond extract to give it an adult twist, its also gluten free too which is always a bonus.

                                                                 

And my final linky is to Alphabakes, with the letter D this month, so I am using Dark Chocolate as my entry into this challenge hosted by Caroline Bakes and More than the occasional baker.

                                                       

I am also linking up to Bake of the Week over at my fellow cakeclubbing WI member blogging chum Casa Costello