Simple Chocolate and Strawberry Cake

Free

Difficulty: Low
Time: 30 min (plus baking and resting time about 2 h)
Quantity: 16 people (Square pan 20x20cm)
Type: Layer Cakes
Dietary requirements: Nut-free Gluten-free Vegan

Ingredients

COCOA SPONGE

170 g plant-based milk

85 g seed oil

120 g granulated sugar

21 g muscovado sugar (or brown sugar)

1 g salt

35 g cocoa powder

35 g potato starch

56 g rice flour

35 g cornstarch

5.5 g baking powder

COCOA CHANTILLY

200 g vegetable whipping cream

20 g cocoa powder

FOR FILLING

280 g fresh strawberries

70 g dark chocolate

In this recipe we will see how to make a very simple and quick chocolate and strawberry cake. Perfect for when you have little time or little desire to bake but still want to enjoy a good dessert. At the base we have a soft gluten-free cocoa sponge (for the gluten version see Tips at the end of the recipe), we will fill this sponge with a cocoa chantilly, quick to make because it does not need baking, and then lots of fresh strawberries and melted chocolate to decorate.

Method

Prepare the cocoa sponge. Take a 20x20 pan and line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven in static mode to 170˚C. In a bowl whisk together the milk and oil. Then add sugar and salt.

Sift all the powders together and add them to the batter, then cocoa, potato starch, rice flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Mix well with a whisk until you obtain a homogeneous, lump-free mixture.

Pour into the pan and bake at 170˚C static for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then using the parchment paper remove the sponge from the pan, place it on a tray and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepare the chantilly. In a bowl weigh the cold cream from the fridge and add the sifted cocoa. Whip with electric beaters for several minutes until you have a frothy, aerated and stable chantilly. You can also do it with a stand mixer. If the sponge is not yet cold keep the chantilly in the fridge.

Take the sponge out of the fridge. Place a plate over the sponge, holding the tray underneath and the plate turn the sponge upside down, then remove the parchment paper. Pour the chantilly and with a spatula or spoon spread it evenly to cover the entire base and create a wavy effect.

Wash the strawberries and remove the stems. Cut them into wedges and arrange them over the chantilly.

Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Pour it into a piping bag. Cut the tip of the bag, make a small cut, and decorate the cake by making continuous lines. The dessert is ready.

Storage

Store in the fridge up to 3 days.

Tips

To make the cake with gluten it is possible to use all-purpose flour, you can replace rice flour, starch and potato starch by equal weight with the flour, but I recommend keeping at least the potato starch to have a softer sponge and therefore replace only rice flour and cornstarch. It is recommended to read these articles: - which ingredients to use - where to buy pastry ingredients and products