Christmas is just around the corner. It’s about time to start thinking about the menu. What could be more festive than little Christmas tree cakes? With healthy and guilt-free option of course. Sponge is gluten-free. It has an amazing chocolate flavour with a hint of orange, such an amazing duet. On the other hand, the cream is diary-free. It’s made from cashew nuts, which not only taste marvellous but also give the cream perfect consistency for decorating your chocolate Christmas trees.
Sponge
- 55 g coconut flour
- 20 g cacao
- 10 g tapioca flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 3 eggs
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- Zest from half orange
- 1/2 cup honey (you can also use maple syrup or rice malt syrup instead)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cashew cream
- 1 cup raw cashews – soaked in water for 6 hours, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp spirulina
Additional
- Pomegranate seeds (for decoration)
- Bamboo skewers (cut into smaller pieces)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
- Grease square cake tin (21×21 cm) and line it with baking paper.
- In a bowl combine coconut flour, tapioca flour, cacao and baking powder.
- Separate the eggs.
- In second bowl mix yolks coconut oil, vanilla extract, honey, zest and orange juice. Add dry ingredients and mix again.
- In another bowl whisk the egg whites with pinch of salt till stiff. Gently fold them into the chocolate cake butter.
- Pour cake mixture into prepared cake tin.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the skewer comes up clean.
- Remove it from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Mix all the ingredients for the cream until nice and fluffy.
- Cut the cake into small triangles.
- Press bamboo skewer in end of triangles to make trunk.
- Pipe the frosting on the top.
- Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
- Arrange pomegranate seeds on cake to look like lights or ornaments.
- Store in the fridge.
