I have never liked ginger biscuits, ginger cake or gingerbread in any form ( although I love ginger in main meals) but this recipe defies logic as I love it – it’s possibly the mix of cranberries and/or chocolate that makes it so special, plus it is not too gingery.

I served it with extra cranberry compote and it was just superb.  Moist, chocolatey, gingery with a slight sweet/sharp taste of the delicious cranberries.

This would make a lovely alternative Christmas cake or even a dessert, especially if served with whipped coconut cream.

The original recipe used either almond butter or sunflower butter but I substituted cashew butter and it still tasted great.  I also decided not to add chocolate chunks.

INGREDIENTS:

8oz fresh cranberries **
½ cup plus ¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup ghee (unsalted butter or palm shortening)
½ cup coconut sugar
4 eggs
¾ cup cashew butter
¼ cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons cacao
1 tablespoon ground ginger
Zest from 1 lemon
2 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

METHOD:

Line an 8” or 9” cake tin with baking parchment. Turn oven on at 350°F.

Place the cranberries with ½ cup of maple syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes or until the berries have popped. Mash them slightly with a wooden spoon and set aside to cool.

In another small saucepan, melt the ghee, ¼ cup maple syrup with the coconut sugar until the sugar has dissolved.   Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, put the eggs, almond or cashew butter, coconut flour, cinnamon, cacao, ginger, zest, juice, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder and pepper. Blend for 30 to 40 seconds until fully combined and smooth.

Add the melted sugar/butter mix and blend well again.

Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin – it will be quite soft.

Drop spoonfuls of the cooked cranberries on to the cake mix and swirl with a knife until partially combined.

Swirl cranberry compote into cake mix

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for an hour before turning out.

Slice and serve with some extra cranberry compote and whipped coconut cream.

Cranberry Choc Ginger Cake

Delicious warm or cold

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serves 10 to 12 slices.   Using an 8″ cake tin, the cake took about 40 minutes to cook.

**If you want to serve extra cranberry compote with this cake, make a double batch at the beginning.

Recipe adapted from Danielle Walker – AgainstAllGrain.com

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.