My lovely friends at AEG asked me to create a bake to celebrate Mother’s Day, and I knew it had to be something pretty but also chocolatey! Raspberry and chocolate, for me is the ultimate combination, and this cake looks like a real showstopper despite being super easy to whip up! It features three gooey chocolate fudge cake layers, sandwiched together with a ‘cheats’ two-ingredient ganache and super easy chia jam, and topped with all the fresh raspberries too.

It’s definitely something mums will love, and the fact that it’s vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free means it really does tick all the boxes, as well as being absolutely indulgent too!

For the cake

1/2 cup ground almonds 

1/4 cup buckwheat flour 

1/4 cup peanut butter 

1 cup cacao  powder

1 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 cup plant-based milk (I like oat) 

1 tbsp baking powder 

For the ganache

1 bar of dark chocolate (200g)

1 carton coconut cream (250 ml)

For the jam

1 cup (about 150g) raspberries

2 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup water

1 cup raspberries to decorate 

I like to make the jam and ganache the day before, so it’s all ready to use once the cake is made. You can always use ready-made raspberry jam, though to make things even easier although I do love this super simple chia jam. For the jam, pop the ingredients in a blender and blend for a minute or so until there are no lumps of raspberry. Pour this mixture into a saucepan and heat on medium heat until it starts to boil, then turn down to low heat and stir for about 10-15 minutes (until it starts to thicken). Allow the jam to cool, and then pop it in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

To make the ganache, simply place a bar of dark chocolate broken into pieces in a bowl over a saucepan half full with water and heat on a low heat until melted, then stir in the coconut cream. Place this ganache mixture in the fridge overnight to set, or if you’re pushed for time, pop in the freezer for an hour or so once it has cooled.

To make the cake, preheat your oven to 180C, then place the ground almonds, buckwheat flour, cacao powder and baking powder in a stand mixer and mix until combined (or mix by hand). Add the peanut butter, maple syrup and oat milk to another bowl and stir well, then add this to the dry ingredients and stir or mix until well combined. Spoon this mixture into three 6” cake tins greased with coconut oil, then bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. The cakes are quite fudge, so don’t worry if they still seem quite soft when they come out! Place them on a cooling rack to cool, then take the ganache out of the fridge and give it a good stir. 

Spread a layer of ganache and then a layer of the jam onto two of the layers and stack them on top of each other, then place the final layer on top and finish with ganache and fresh raspberries. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to two months!

The amazing oven I am using from AEG is the Surroundcook – Dual Cavity Oven with Catalytic Cleaning (DCK731110M)