Life. It’s been busy, manic and timeless. Rushed, exhausting and a little chaotic.

I am constantly thinking tomorrow will be calmer, tomorrow.

 

I have been out of sync, in need of recalibration, running 2 steps behind the universe. And from this back stepped haze I have been running to catch up. I’m tired from the running and I feel like I need to sit and let the world cycle back round to me.

When I’m out of sync things, simple things, everyday simple, done them a thousand times jobs go wrong. In little ways, where at first you laugh, but by the end of 24hrs you want to cry. This has been me, with 2 crazy tumbleweeds of kids, rolling in a ball of fists and kicks across the floor. Tear inspiring, frustration making, wild crazy.

 

It’s time to sit. And indulge and be calm.

Waiting for that beautiful earth to meet me.

 

And while am waiting I will drink tea (it’s all about loose leaf Russian Caravan at the moment) from my simple white tea pot and eat cake.

 

And not just any cake, a rich dark healthy (mostly) mud cake. Filling my spirit with indulgence and nutrients.

Deep and dense and rich and nothing like healthiness.

 

Being gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, containing no chocolate and spiked with kombucha I would argue that this IS the healthiest chocolate cake around, that also tastes the riches and most unhealthy.

Made on a Besan or chickpea flour base which is an unrefined flour full of nutrients (I have written about it here if you want more info). The oil component comes from a milk olive oil and coconut quench a coconut milk sold in supermarkets in Australia is the milk and fat component helping the body to absorb specific vitamins and nutrients.

Rapadura sugar is where the sweet comes from. Made from the juice of the sugar cane, it is boiled down to a syrup (think maple syrup) then left to harden and ground to produce a sugar that kind of looks like brown sugar, without the softness, tastes like amazing caramel and has had very little done to it. It is also called Jaggery in the Indian community.

And then for the Kombucha. A fermented super drink that tastes and acts similarly to apple cider vinegar. In fact they are made in the same way and contain the same acid producing bacteria. Full of probiotic, good yeasts and bacterias. An all round awesome drink to add to you system. It’s rumored that Ronald Reagan used to drink it everyday. In this recipe the kombucha is used to help leavening and to sour the coconut milk so it resembles buttermilk. If you ever need buttermilk for a recipe and you don’t have any, simply add 1 tbsp of vinegar to a cup of milk, allow to stand a minute or so and then use as you would buttermilk.

This is definitely a cake to add to the quick mid week baking repertoire. It takes very little effort to make but looks, tastes and is amazing. It has become one of my favourite cakes to make in the rush and flow of my current life.

Kombucha Spiked Chocolate Mud Cake

serves 8-10 prep time 5 mins cooking time 1 hr 10 mins

1 1/2 cups Besan Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

6 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Pinch Salt

1 1/4 cup Rapadura Sugar (or brown sugar)

4 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

3/4 cup Coconut Quench or milk of choice

3 tsp Kombucha or Apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup mild olive oil

 

Oven preheated to 140C (fan forced) and a 23cm spring form cake tin oiled and lined with silicone paper

Sift Besan flour, Baking powder, Cocoa powder, salt and Sugar into a bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, coconut quench, kombucha and oil until emulsified.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients and stir until just but full combined.

Pour into the lined cake tin.

Place in the center rack of the oven and bake fro 1hr 10 minutes or until just cooked.

Allow to cool slightly in the tin.

Serve with Berries and dust with icing sugar.

 

Notes:

Besan flour or chickpea or chana flour is available from health food stores, online or make friends with your local Indian grocers or Indian restaurant.

Substitute rapadura sugar with brown sugar if you can’t find it, but look in health food stores, in your major supermarkets health and sugar isles or online.

Coconut quench is a new product available in Australia in major supermarkets in the long life milk isle. It makes amazing coffee. You can substitute with another milk of choice including nut milks or use half coconut milk and half water.

Kombucha can be found in health food stores in the fridge but you can use a good quality apple cider vinegar instead.