When I make a treat for two people I don’t want it to be too big. This recipe makes a beautiful mini cake, that’s just right. This recipe makes a light, moist cake. You can double the recipe for a standard cake. You may frost this cake with your favorite frosting. I prepared two batches of the same frosting mix just using different amounts of water for each. One has a consistency of thick syrup to pour over the cake. The other is a stiffer frosting to spread. I used the stiffer frosting in between layers because it’s hefty enough to support the top layer. And then I frosted the cake and let it chill to firm up. A few hours later, I used the thinner topping to decoratively pour over the cake. I let that chill a few hours before serving.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
3/4 cup flour, all purpose or make your own mix. Here is mine:
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Steel Cut Oats
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Millet
2 Tablespoons Garbanzo Bean Flour
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Flax egg: 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed mixed in 7 Tablespoons water
1/3 cup vegan butter (we make our own using a recipe from Miyoko Schinner’s Homemade Vegan Pantry cookbook)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or other vegan sugar)
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
For the Ganache:
Thick frosting version
3/4 cup cocoa
6 Tablespoons coconut sugar (or other vegan sugar)
3 Tablespoons coconut oil (use unrefined for a coconut flavor or refined for no coconut taste)
1/2 cup
Thin syrup version
3/4 cup cocoa
6 Tablespoons coconut sugar (or other vegan sugar)
3 Tablespoons coconut oil (use unrefined for a coconut flavor, refined for no coconut taste)
3/4 cup water
For the Whipped Coconut Cream
1 can of Coconut Milk (not light) or Cream, chilled upright overnight
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Pumpkin Purée
water
Directions
For the Cake
Preheat oven to 350oF. Grease two mini cake pans, 5″ in diameter with 2″ high sides.
In a high powered blender process the steel cut oats and millet into flour. Pour into a large bowl. Add in the garbanzo bean flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder. Mix well.
In a small bowl mix the ground flax seeds with 7 Tablespoons of water and set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream the butter with the sugars. Mix in the pumpkin, vanilla and flax mixture.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to make a thick batter. Stir in walnuts.
Pour batter into the two greased pans. Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool. Gluten-free baked goods are often slightly damp inside when baked and will firm up when they cool.
For the Ganache
Put the cocoa, sugar, coconut oil and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir to blend the ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, cook over low heat under 5 minutes. These toppings are not very sweet. Taste them. If you want something sweeter, stir in more sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time and cook until incorporated.
Remove from heat. Place in a container and refrigerate or freeze to firm the ganache.
Once chilled, ganache can be stirred or whipped and spread on cake. If the firm version is too stiff to spread, beat in a little water, 1 Tablespoon at a time to attain desired consistency.
The firm ganache can be used on top of the bottom layer and then around the sides and top of the cake. The thinner version can be carefully poured over the top and allowed to drip over the sides.
Chill several hours before serving.
For the Whipped Coconut Cream
Carefully open the can of Coconut Milk and scoop out the solid portion. Pour the liquid in a container and refrigerate to add to something else later like a smoothie or a sauce.
Place the firm coconut fat into a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla and whip with a hand mixer.
Add in 1 Tablespoon of Pumpkin Purée at a time until desired whipped cream consistency is attained. If it is still too stiff after adding all the pumpkin you may add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time.
Store in a container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Slice cake and serve with a dollop or two of whipped cream.
