A chocolate and coconut cake that is rich and deeply comforting allowing you to shut out the world and indulge in the art of doing absolutely nothing at all.  It’s also gluten free.

When the weather takes a turn for the worst and you have no choice but to be housebound for the day is when I get the urge to bake.  Plus we are all nursing colds and achy limbs, a homemade cake will heal us surely? 

I’m not much of a baker, I can and I love baking but I’m far too lazy and want instant success and present it to the table with a tad-ha as soon as it comes out of the oven.  I am rubbish at icing and my layer cakes are always on the tilt.  Taste good but have that look of a child’s first baking attempt.  Every time.

This cake doesn’t have that rise thing going on but gains more moisture and richness a day after baking if it’s not all eaten before then.  You could add a little orange zest or booze to the mixture if you wanted a more grown up taste and would work perfectly for an easy dinner party pudding.  Or you could top it with a cream cheese frosting if you wanted it to go further for a party cake.  It’s a do-er of a cake but it’s quite happy to just sit on undecorated in a tin ready for you when you are and when you are in need.

So TV on, feet up and all snuggled up on the sofa eating nothing but cake all day is the best way to cope with those pesky summer colds and shivers.  Might even put the fire on.

A rich and decadent chocolate cake made with ground almonds, desiccated coconut and dark chocolate.  It’s also gluten-free.

Rich Chocolate and Coconut Cake

200g dark chocolate, broken into squares

130g unsalted butter, softened

130g golden caster sugar

4 eggs

200g ground almonds

80g desiccated coconut

Preheat your oven to 180°C and great and fully line 20cm cake tin.

Melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water and remove from the heat while you cream the butter and sugar.

In a food mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until well mixed (they don’t have to be light and fluffy as the mixture is too dense for that) then add the eggs on at a time, followed by the ground almonds and the coconut.

Once fully mixed, pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.  It’s a dense cake so might take another 5 minutes or so here and there.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a good 30 minutes and then you can eat whilst still warm but will keep for a good 4 days in your cake tin.

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