More and more customers are coming to the cafe every day with dietary requirements so I have working on a few recipes that could help make life taste a little better for those who have to watch what they are eating
Diary free chocolate cake
Serves 12
What you need
150ml/16fl oz espresso coffee
75ml/3fl oz water
75g/3oz vegetable margarine
75g/3oz caster sugar
15ml/1tbsp golden syrup
200g/7oz plain unbleached white flour
5ml/1tsp bicarbonate of soda
25g/1oz cocoa powder
45ml/3tbsp soya milk
2.5ml/½tsp vanilla essence
For the icing
75g/3oz plain cbocolate
25g/1oz vegetable margarine
275g/9oz icing sugar
For the topping
250g/8oz frozen or fresh raspberries
30ml/2tbsp caster sugar
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm/8in round cake tin.
Put the coffee, water, margarine, sugar and syrup in a pan and heat stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the dry ingredients and beat well.
Stir in the soya milk and vanilla essence.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes until set.
Slice in half and allow to cool on a wire rack.
To make the icing, place the chocolate and margarine plus 45ml/3tbsp water in a dish or pan.
Set this over a saucepan of boiling water until melted.
Stir well until amalgamated and sift in the icing sugar, beating the mixture until smooth.
Allow to cool slightly, then spread some onto one half of the cake and sandwich together with the other half.Spread the remaining icing all over the top and sides.
For the topping, place the raspberries in a pan with the caster sugar and heat very gently until the sugar is melted and the raspberries are just beginning to dissolve.
Allow to cool slightly and spoon over the centre of the cake only, leaving a surrounding area of cake uncovered.
The cake is best eaten very fresh or even slightly warm.
