Spicy Prune and Chocolate Cake Recipe

Tits soft and dense cake is made with buckwheat flour, which makes it gluten-free. It is rich and delicious and can be enjoyed cold or reheated.

Schedule

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus soaking time

Cooking time: 35 minutes, plus cooling time

Serves

8

Ingredients

• 100 g of pitted prunes
• 100 ml of just boiled water
• 200 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus a little more for greasing
• 225g dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), melted
• 100g buckwheat flour
• 50g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 50g of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder (make sure gluten-free, if needed)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda (baking soda)

For the icing

• 225 g dark chocolate (50% cocoa), broken into pieces
• 300 ml double cream

Decorate

• Holly branch, orange slices or bay leaves

Method

1. Put the prunes in a small bowl and pour the just boiled water over them. Let it soak and soften for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 180 ° C / 160 ° C hot air / thermostat 4. Butter and line a 23cm springform pan.
3. Place the butter, sugar and soaked prunes (including liquid) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until they are evenly combined – it may look cracked at this point, but that’s normal. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixture and blend once more until well combined.
4. Now add the rest of the ingredients and blend for about 30 seconds until the dough is smooth. Pour the dough into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
5. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is set and starting to brown.
6. A metal skewer inserted in the center of the cake will not come out and should not come out clean – the middle of this cake is creamy, hence the name, and because of this, it will flow down the center as it cools.
7. Let cool in the mold, unmold on a wire rack, then turn in the right direction on a serving plate. To make the frosting, place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the chocolate.
8. Using a wooden spoon, beat chocolate and cream until smooth and shiny; the heat of the cream will melt the chocolate. Liberally pour the frosting into the dip in the center of the cake. Decorate with a sprig of holly, dried orange slices, bay leaves – whatever you really like.
9. Alternatively, if you choose not to glaze it, it’s good to eat warm (but not hot out of the oven) for dessert with a dollop of crème fraîche on the side, possibly some hot raspberries too. Not iced, it will keep well in an airtight container for three days.

Advent: Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas by Anja Dunk (Quadrille, £ 25) Order your copy from Telegraph bookstore.