Our Winter 2021/22 issue has gone to print. David and Stephen Flynn of The Happy Pear share this wonderful recipe, perfect for indulging on cold days! — dive on in for a sneak peek!
Nourish Yourself
by David and Stephen Flynn
At this time of year, comfort is key. The food you eat should nourish you, body, mind, and soul. This winning recipe is sure to light you up during the darkening days. This is a lovely healthy take on a classic chocolate ganache cake. It’s rich, it’s indulgent and it’s absolutely amazing!
Flourless Chocolate Ganache Cake
Ingredients 350g soaked cashews (250g before soaking) 100g coconut oil 50ml maple syrup 40ml coffee – to add another flavour dimension, use cold earl grey tea or mint tea if preferred 30ml water 150g dark choc – min. 54% cacao solids with no dairy 1 tbsp vanilla Ingredients for the top layer 150 g dark choc for the top 1 tbsp coconut oil Flourless Chocolate Ganache Cake. Refrigeration time: 3 hours Serves: 12
Method 1 Ideally, soak the cashew nuts overnight. If you don’t have time, just fill and boil the kettle and soak in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse them. 2 Melt 150g of chocolate and 100g of coconut oil, until both are runny.
In a food processor, add all the ingredients for the ganache and blend on high speed for 5 minutes, until the texture is wonderfully smooth and delicious. 3 Line an 8 inch springform tin with baking parchment. Scoop and spread this ganache filling in the pre-lined tin and spread out evenly.
Put in the fridge to set for 3 hours. 4 Remove from the fridge. Using a pallet knife or butter knife, carefully cut around the cake in the springform tin. Remove the sides of the springform tin. 5 Chop 150g of dark chocolate (for the topping) into small even pieces. 6 Boil the kettle, fill a small pot (1/3 full) with boiling water, and put on medium heat.
Put 100g of the chopped dark choc and 1 tbsp of coconut oil into a bowl that allows heat to transfer, such as a metal or glass bowl. Allow the mixture to melt. 7 Once it is all melted, remove from the heat and add in the remaining 50g of chopped chocolate slowly at a time. Mix until all is melted. This will ensure that your melted chocolate is thick enough that – when added to the firm ganache cake – it will weep down the sides, giving you a beautiful look.
The addition of the coconut oil ensures that the chocolate will be easy to slice through, and won’t snap. 8 Pour the melted chocolate slowly and gently on top of the ganache cake. Gently spread it around, ensuring that some parts dip over the edge to give the appearance of chocolate weeping down the sides. 9 Decorate the top with any extra ingredients you like: chopped pistachio, raspberry, rose petals, etc.
10 Best served in small slices, as it’s so rich, and kept in the fridge, so it holds its form. Enjoy!
The Happy Pear are all about creating incredibly delicious plant based recipes using whole foods.
Learn more about David and Stephen here: The Happy Pear
