There are some days in life you just need a piece of cake. Chocolate preferable for me and slathered in a rich chocolate icing like this Simple Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache. There are many days being a mum (or dad) calls for many pieces of cake like this. Lets say you are just about to walk out the door to get to an appointment, which you are already running late for and the baby decides to do their weekly poo all over you. Cancel the appointment and Insert Chocolate Cake eating here. You wake up with mastitis (Ouch) and upon hurrying through frying an egg for breakfast before your early morning doctors appointment you splatter your hand with hot coconut oil (Ouch again) and after managing to throw clothes on and rush out the door you burn your tongue on the scorching hot tea in your travel mug. (Triple Ouch). Come home from the doctor and Insert Chocolate Cake eating here. Hey you need something in your stomach to take the antibiotics. Your grand plans of running to the shops to get some much needed jobs done end up in a flaming heap of frustration with the baby not sleeping and crying the entire time and the toddler running rampant in the supermarket taking bites out of the pears in the pear display (I did buy those pears). Don't get me started on the amount of items he licked along the way. Gross I know. Drive home trying not to commit road rage and Insert Chocolate Cake eating here.

Now I don't encourage eating the whole cake although you may be tempted on those terribly frustrating and hard days but a little slither with a calming cup of herbal tea or coffee, whatever your poison is. Just sit and be and enjoy each bite of that little morsel. Hide in the toilet if you have to get some peace and quiet and get some perspective back about the day. If you can't find the perspective you need in that first piece maybe another is in order! Stop at your third you're just getting greedy now.

I think everyone should have a good chocolate cake recipe up their sleeve in times of desperation, commiseration or for celebration. Whatever the occasion. A good chocolate cake is always a winner in my books. I have a chocolate cake recipe that I use to make a lot but after trying to eat a bit more healthy it was time to add a new favourite cake to my repertoire. Enter this Simple Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache. When I set out to make this recipe I had three pre-requisites for myself. It had to be gluten free, dairy free and lighter on the sugar side. I went with my favourite gluten free nut meal, Almond meal for the base of this cake. It always gives a lovely moist texture to any baked good I've made and it is fairly easy to find at your local supermarket. Don't you hate it when you find a good recipe but scroll through the ingredient list and wonder where the heck you would get most of the ingredients listed. Not today. All will be found at your local supermarket.

Now once you have made the cake and it has cooled it's time to get your Chocolate Ganache on. Oh yeah this stuff is liquid chocolate gold. I could sit down and eat this by the spoonful. I didn't.... mmm maybe a teeny tiny spoonful. A traditional ganache is made with cream and chocolate but to keep within my pre-requisites of a dairy free cake I had to come up with a different recipe. I went down the route of coconut sugar and coconut cream paired with good quality cocoa. It worked really nicely as a dairy free ganache and spreads really nicely on the cake leaving gorgeous thick chocolate drizzles down the side of the cake. Add a bit more coconut sugar to thicken the ganache up for a thicker style of icing. This icing does set after a period of time in the fridge but it still has a gooeyness to it.

A simple topping of fresh strawberries finishes the cake off nicely. You could go the whole hog and layer sliced strawberries or raspberries on top for a more spectacular looking cake but this cake was simply for Insert Chocolate Cake eating here business so nothing fancy was required.

Simply cut into generous slices, boil the kettle and make a cuppa and go and hide in the wardrobe to consume if need be.

What do you do in the day to keep your sanity if you have had a bad run?

Simple Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Ganache

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 25-30 min

Makes: 1 cake

Ingredients:

For The Cake

2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups almond meal
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup almond milk (*can sub with coconut cream)

Chocolate Ganache

1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 1/2 tablespoon cocoa
pinch salt
3 tablespoon coconut cream

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees (fan bake). Line the base of a 20cm cake tin with baking paper and oil edges. Set aside.
Add the egg whites into a clean electric mixer bowl. Whip the whites until soft peaks form.
Add the maple syrup, vanilla essence and salt and continue to whip the whites until firm peaks form.
In a small bowl sift in the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and almond meal.
In a small jug combine the milk, egg yolks and coconut oil and briefly whisk to combine.
Set the mixer on a low speed and gently add in half of the dry ingredients along with half of the wet ingredients. Repeat and mix together gently until all ingredients are combined.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan and place into the oven.
Bake for 25 to 30 min or until a skewer comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.

Chocolate Ganache

In a microwavable jug add in all the ingredients. Stir to combine. Place in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds to warm. Remove and continue to stir until all the coconut sugar has dissolved. Repeat in the microwave if necessary.
Cool slightly before pouring over the cake. The longer you leave it sit the thicker the ganache gets. Add more coconut sugar if you want it thicker.
Garnish with strawberries or raspberries. Enjoy