Maggie turned 7 this month and we celebrated her birthday in lockdown. I felt a bit sorry for her as there were no extravagant gifts, just some bits and pieces that I collected together from the supermarket and from around the house..and she couldn’t have a party with her friends. Instead we video called her friends, set the table with placemats, napkins, cute cutlery, champagne flutes (for kombucha) and some Manuka flowers. We dressed up, Maggie in her Elsa dress, James in a shirt, me in my tutu and Fletcher in his St Joseph’s school uniform.. Chocolate, peanut butter and maple cake was the guest of honour and the prettiest food on the table. It made the occasion and Maggie later said to me that it was the best day of her life. (heart melted). This is one of the sweetest memories of lockdown that we will hold onto.

The below recipe is for one 23cm cake with icing, I doubled both the cake and icing recipe to make two to sandwich.

Gluten, dairy and refined sugar free.

You will need:

3/4 cup cocoa

3/4 cup boiling water

2 t vanilla essence

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

4 large eggs or 5 small

1 cup olive oil

2 1/4 cups almond meal

1/4 tsp sea salt

For the icing you will need:

3/4 cup pics smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup pure maple syrup + extra to drizzle

To make:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper. I use a silicone one so no need to line, just grease with a little coconut oil.
2. Whisk cocoa powder in a bowl with boiling water and the vanilla essence until it is fully smooth, like melted chocolate.
3. Beat coconut sugar, eggs and olive oil in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy.
4. Add almond meal, sea salt and the cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
5. Pour into cake tin and bake for 45 mins.
6. Let the cake cool in the tin before removing.

To make the icing: Place the peanut butter and maple syrup in a bowl and mix until well combined. Spread this over the cake and then use a little extra maple syrup to drip over and down the sides of the cake. You could sprinkle a few grains of sea salt on top too to take the flavours to another level entirely.

I am fairly certain that no one would disagree that pillowy chocolate cakes encasing and topped with creamy peanut butter and maple syrup is an extremely delicious and enjoyable treat, in fact it is almost too good, practically begging you to eat another slice..or ten!

x. Lonnie