This is our favourite gluten free chocolate cake for birthdays or special occasions. Don't let the vege ingredients put you off, you'd never know they were in it! It's not overly sweet but still so rich and delicious, yum! And really easy to make.

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely grated raw golden kumara (260 g)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 125gm butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda (bi-carb soda)
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¾ cup cocoa or raw cacao
• ¼ cup coconut flour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease an 8 inch (20 cm) baking tin and line base with baking paper.
2. Whisk grated kumara, eggs, syrup, butter and vanilla with a fork. Sift over dry ingredients and mix well. Scrape into prepared tin and smooth surface flat.
3. Bake 35 – 40 mins, until edges pull away from the tin and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool cake in tin 10 mins, run a knife around edge and turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
4. Spread Cauliflower Chocolate Buttercream frosting below over top and sides before serving — or “make it a layer cake”. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cauliflower Chocolate Buttercream

Makes approx 2 ½ c — enough to fill, crumb coat and frost a two layer cake. Make another half to fill a four layer cake.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed steamed cauliflower
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup mashed avocado
• ¼- ½ cup maple syrup (to taste)
• ½ cup cocoa or raw cacao, sifted
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Method

1. Blend cauliflower and lemon juice to an impossibly smooth purée. Add coconut oil and blend again until you see the texture change and the mixture becomes silky smooth and thick. Add avocado and syrup and blend again. Stir in cocoa and salt then blend one final time and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
2. Before using whip, with a electric whisk or a hand whisk, to loosen slightly. Spread on cooled Gluten Free Chocolate Cake or pretty much anything else.