Dairy- and gluten-free chocolate and pecan brownie cake

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Who would guess this delicious and fudgy indulgent chocolate cake is dairy-free? Andrea’s recipe is an entry in the Pure Bake Dairy Free challenge and is gluten-free too. Perfect for those with food allergies or if you’re simply looking to reduce dairy from your diet.

First published in 2015

You can’t help but love this moist and decadent brownie cake. Light compared with any other chocolate cake and made with healthy ingredients, this fudgy brownie cake contains less sugar and fats than you’d find in a traditional brownie recipe.

Plus, it's totally dairy-free and gluten-free, making it suitable for anyone with these kinds of food allergies. They do contain eggs so substitute with a suitable alternative like mashed banana for a vegan version.

What makes this brownie cake incredibly delicious and fudgy (but secretly healthy) is avocado. This superfood adds the richness you need, together with plenty of extra healthy benefits, allowing you to skip other fats like butter or oil. I often use avocado when making desserts, as it's completely tasteless and extremely versatile. You can make all kinds of dessert, from healthy ice creams to melt-in-your-mouth truffles, cakes and of course, brownies.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Brownie cake

Coffee buttercream

Chocolate glaze

Decoration

  • 100g of pecan nuts, finely chopped
  • 50g of flaked almonds, toasted
  • 12 pecan nuts, halves

Method

1
Preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease two 8 inch cake tins with dairy-free spread
2
Add the avocado flesh to a food processor, then fold in eggs, vanilla and water. Blend all of the ingredients until creamy
3
Add the sugar, cocoa powder, rice flour, melted chocolate, pecans and chocolate chips. Stir together all of the ingredients, fold in the baking soda and stir until just combined
4
Transfer the mixture to your prepared tins, levelling out the top and spreading the mix out to the edges
5
Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
6
Allow to cool completely before removing from the tins and placing on a cooling rack
7
Meanwhile, prepare the buttercream. Mix together the dairy-free spread and icing sugar, gently pour in the coffee and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Keep in the fridge until ready to use
8
Spread the buttercream over one of the cakes and place the remaining cake upside-down on top
9
To prepare the glaze, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Once melted, mix in 1 tbsp of water and allow to cool a little
10
Pour the chocolate glaze over the brownie cake, making sure it's evenly coated on all sides
11
Decorate the edges of the cake with chopped pecans and almonds, making sure you work quickly before the glaze sets
12
Top with halved pecans, allow to set and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. You can store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days if not serving immediately. Enjoy!
First published in 2015

Originally from Italy, Andrea is the food blogger behind the popular blog thepetitecook.com.

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