Gluten Free Orange Chocolate Mousse Cake

Gluten Free Orange Chocolate Mousse Cake

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 100g caster sugar
• 100g dairy-free margarine, plus extra for greasing
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 100g gluten-free plain flour
• 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• finely pared strips of orange rind, to decorate

For the mousse

• 200g good-quality plain dark chocolate (about 70 per cent cocoa solids)
• grated rind of 2 oranges and Juice of 1
• 4 eggs, separated

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F Gas Mark 4. Grease a 23-cm/9-inch round, loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base.

2. Cream the sugar and margarine together in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well with a wooden spoon between each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together, fold half into the egg mixture, then fold in the remainder. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until risen and firm to the touch. Leave in the tin to cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Leave to cool, then stir in the orange rind and juice and the egg yolks.

4. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold a large spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder. Spoon the mixture on top of the cooked, cooled sponge and level the top with the back of a spoon. Alternatively, remove the sponge from the tin, slice through and sandwich with the mousse. Place in the refrigerator to set. Remove the sides of the tin if not removed earlier (though not the base) before decorating with the strips of orange rind and serving.