CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS MINI CAKES
I am very much getting into the Christmas mood in here with these Chocolate Cranberry Christmas Mini Cakes. I wanted to create simple cakes that aren’t complicated to make and that would look great on a festive table. I’ve picked very Christmassy colours and flavours and filled these little sponge cakes with cranberry chia jam, topped them with luscious Amore di Mona chocolate and fresh cranberries.
I would also love to wish Happy Thanksgiving to all of my lovely readers who are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow. Hope you have the most amazing day filled with Love and Joy.
CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS MINI CAKES (VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, NUT-FREE
Serves: 5-6 mini cakes
INGREDIENTS
110g brown rice flour (3/4 cup)
60g quinoa flour (1/2 cup)
30g arrowroot (1/4 cup)
30g cacao powder (1/4 cup)
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
½tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt
80ml maple syrup (1/3 cup)
80ml olive oil (1/3 cup)
60ml aquafaba (1/4 cup)
2tsp apple cider vinegar
1tsp vanilla
120ml rice milk (1/2 cup)
Cranberry chia jam:
100g cranberries (1 cup)
60ml orange juice (1/4 cup)
little orange zest
1tbsp maple syrup
small cinnamon stick (optional)
1tbsp chia seeds
Coating:
100g Amore di Mona bulk chocolate (2 cubes) or dark vegan chocolate (3.5oz)
60ml rice milk
1tbsp maple syrup
fresh or dried cranberries
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350F)
Line 9" x 9" baking tin with baking paper.
In a large bowl whisk together brown rice flour, quinoa flour, arrowroot, cacao, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together maple syrup, olive oil, aquafaba, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and rice milk.
Add the wet mix to the dry mix and mix until well combined. The mix should be pourable, but not too thin consistency.
Pour the mix into the prepared dish and smooth out the top.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven once ready and leave to cool down before carefully removing from the tin.
Place onto a flat surface and using 2" round cutter carefully cut out shapes. You should end up with 11-12 shapes.
Sandwich 2 together with a generous dollop of cranberry jam.
Finely chop the chocolate and place into small bowl. Gently heat the rice milk until boiling point, pour over finely chopped chocolate and stir until completely smooth. Stir in maple syrup and pour over top of each of the cakes gently smoothing out the chocolate to drip over the edge.
Decorate with fresh cranberries.
To make the cranberry jam place cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup and cinnamon stick into a pot and gently heat for about 10 min until cranberries have popped and are soft. Remove the cinnamon stick and mash the cranberries with a fork until smooth. Stir in chia seeds and leave to cool down for a bit before transferring into fridge to set.
Enjoy!
NOTES
I've made another version of these cakes which are more moist with cranberry puree. Use 120ml (1/2 cup) maple syrup, 80ml (1/3 cup) rice milk and add 120ml (1/2 cup) cranberry puree (make exactly the same amount as in the chia jam and blend until smooth, omit the chia seeds)
Please note that I've used the holly leaf purely for the photos as these are not edible. If you like something green, a little sprig of rosemary would also look lovely