Rum & fudge layer cake

MAKES 26cm x26cm rectangle (or 20cm x 22cm round)

SERVES 8-10

Okay, so I concede that this is a fairly sugar-fuelled cake to appear on the Nourish Me page, but it is free from gluten! A small slice will suffice.

CAKE

¼ cup neutral (unflavoured) oil

– I used sunflower oil

6 medium eggs, separated

100ml freshly brewed espresso

2 tsp vanilla extract

160g gluten-free flour – I used

Edmonds plain flour

1½ cups sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cream of tartar

½ tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

FUDGE FROSTING

½ cup brown sugar 30ml cream 100g dark chocolate, broken

into pieces

3 cups icing sugar

200g butter, softened

3- 6 tbsp milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup rum – I use

Appleton Estate

6 tbsp espresso

1 tbsp sugar

1 Preheat oven to 175°C. Line tin with baking paper.

2 In a small bowl, lightly whisk the oil, egg yolks, espresso and vanilla.

3 In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and cinnamon.

4 Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until frothy. Gradually add the remaining half cup of sugar. Beat only until soft-peak stage. 5 Pour the egg-yolk mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined. Fold in quarter of the beaten egg whites to prime the batter, then fold in the remainder of the whites. Don’t overmix. Pour batter into prepared tin.

6 Bake for 18-22 minutes or until it just about springs back to the touch. Cool completely in the tin. When cooled, run a blunt knife around the edge of the tin to release the cake. Turn out on to a wire rack, remove the baking paper, then cut the cake into four layers.

7 Make the fudge frosting:

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and cream, then heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Add the chocolate and continue to heat until it melts. Whisk together until smooth and cool completely. In a food processor, mix the fudge base with the icing sugar, butter, milk (start with 2-3 tbsp) and vanilla until smooth, thick and creamy. Add more milk if required to get the desired consistency.

8 Mix the rum, espresso and sugar togther.

9 To assemble the cake: Place a cake layer on a board or plate. Drizzle over quarter of the rum mix. Spread ½ cup frosting evenly and repeat with the next two layers. Finally, top with the remaining cake layer, syrup and use remaining frosting to cover top and sides. If you haven’t got enough, go with semi-naked sides but a decent layer on top.

10 Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving in slices.