This gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate torte is the perfect dessert

You wouldn’t know that this dessert is both gluten-free and dairy-free – it looks and tastes ridiculously good, and is a great recipe for Pesach. Team with blood plums in summer or roasted quinces when temperatures drop. If you eat dairy, a scoop of chocolate ice cream pushes it right over the top.

Flourless Chocolate Torte with Blood Plum Compote

Serves 8-10

Ingredients
olive oil spray, for greasing
6 eggs
100g caster sugar
100g light brown sugar
300g dairy-free dark chocolate couverture, roughly chopped
2 tbsp good-quality ground coffee
2 tbsp Dutch (unsweetened) cocoa powder, to serve

For the blood plum compote
1kg blood plums, quartered, stones removed, and flesh roughly chopped
juice of 2 oranges
6 long strips of orange zest, approximately 2cm thick
85g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease a 25cm round cake tin with olive oil spray and line it with baking paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugars for about 5 minutes, or until light and creamy.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and leave to cool to room temperature, then slowly pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, whisking continuously.

Gently fold in the coffee powder.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until the torte has risen and feels slightly firm. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.

While the torte is baking, make the blood plum compote. Combine the plums, orange juice and zest and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring from time to time, for about 15 minutes, then mix in the vanilla paste and remove from the heat. The fruit should be softened but still holding its shape.

To serve, turn the torte out of its tin and transfer to a platter. Dust generously with cocoa powder and serve with the blood plum compote.

Extracted from Feasting: A New Take on Jewish Cooking by Amanda Ruben (Hardie Grant, approx €29). Photography © Elisa Watson.