Wholesome vegan and gluten-free torte with beautiful chocolate and strawberry layers fit for celebration.
Special thank you to Amore di Mona for sponsoring this post.
Happy May beautiful! Today I have a lovely early Summer recipe for you – Strawberry Chocolate Torte. Wholesome, delicious, beautiful and rather simple to make.
A real showstopper for your Summer parties, if we get to have some this year!
You can make this cake on the day because the layers on top do set very quickly. It really is a simple recipe even though it might look complicated so don’t be put off trying it out.
I’ve baked the base chocolate cake layer in a 7″ square cake tin and then cut 6″ circle to create the base to assemble the cake. So I have assembled the cake in a 6″ round cake tin with removable base. The cake will easily come out with the set agar layers.
If you like to use the strawberries around the edges then you simply arrange halved strawberries around the edge of the tin on top of the cake base layer. Then carefully pour the chocolate middle layer on top ensuring that the strawberries stay intact.
The chocolate layer will set within half hour in the fridge and then you can finish the cake with the strawberry layer.
Once you try this recipe I do encourage you to try different flavors as well. You can get really creative.
The cake doesn’t really need decoration on the top as it is rather decorative on it’s own, but because of the photos I have arranged extra strawberries and few thyme sprigs on top.
Hope you love it!
Strawberry Chocolate Torte (vegan & gluten-free)
Wholesome vegan and gluten-free torte with beautiful chocolate and strawberry layers fit for celebration.
Ingredients
Chocolate cake layer:
- 1/2 cup sorghum flour (70 grams)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (35 grams), ground into flour consistency
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons cacao/cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup rapadura sugar (50 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup olive oil (60 ml)
- 1/3 cup plant milk (80 ml)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Chocolate layer:
- 5.3-ounce dark vegan chocolate (150 grams)
- 1 cup oat cream (250 ml)
- 1 teaspoon agar powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Strawberry layer:
- 2 cups strawberries (250 grams)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 cup oat cream (250 ml)
- 3 teaspoons agar powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Assemble:
- strawberries
- thyme sprigs
- chocolate shards
Instructions
Chocolate cake layer:
- Mix 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons water and set aside to thicken.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) Grease and line a 7" square or round cake tin with a removable base.
- In a large bowl whisk together sorghum flour, ground sunflower seeds, tapioca, cacao, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together flax eggs, olive oil, plant milk and apple cider vinegar.
- Add the wet mix to the dry mix and mix until well combined. You should have pourable muffin consistency. Add little more milk as needed.
- Spoon the mixture into lined cake tin and bake for about 20 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down.
- Use the outside of 6" round cake tin with removable base as a guide to cut out 6" circle. It should fit tightly inside the tin. Place the cut out cake at the base of the tin. Cut strawberries into half and arrange them around the edge of the tin. Set aside.
Chocolate layer:
- Finely chop dark chocolate and set aside.
- Pour oat cream into a medium pot, stir in agar powder, bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Take off the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Mix until completely melted, stir in maple syrup and carefully pour into the center of the cake layer making sure the strawberries stay in place. Place into fridge to set. It will take about 30 minutes to set.
Strawberry layer:
- Place strawberries and lemon juice into blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a medium pot, add oat cream, maple syrup and agar powder and whisk well. Bring the mix to a boil and leave to simmer for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
- Take off the heat and leave to slightly cool down before carefully pouring on top of the chocolate layer. Place back into fridge to set.
- Once set gently remove the cake from the cake tin and place onto a cake stand. Top with more fresh strawberries, chocolate shards and few thyme sprigs.
- Store in fridge.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- I've baked the chocolate cake layer in a 7" square cake tin and then cut 6" circle to create the base for the cake.
- I've assembled the cake inside the 6" cake tin with removable base.
- You can omit the maple syrup in both layers if you don't need extra sweetness.
- You can replace the oat cream with another plant-based cream.
- You can replace the sorghum flour with brown rice or oat flour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 378Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 333mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 5gSugar: 19gProtein: 7g
Looks great, but a few questions – I don’t understand why you didn’t just bake the base in the 6” tin? Also, where do you get sorghum flour, rapadura sugar & oat cream from, I’ve not heard of them before?
Hi Tracie, because once baked the cake slightly pulls away from the sides and the middle tends to be higher. So it’s to have a neat even finish without the chocolate layer spilling into the sides. I get them online. You can replace any of them with what you have available.
Hola Hana! Quiero hacer esta receta. Como hago la crema de avena? Se ve divina!!! Gracias por tu generosidad!! Un abrazo!!
Hola Marcela! You can make oat cream with a blend of oats, water and oil. But you can also use any other plant-based cream in the recipe. Hope you love the recipe :)
Gracias Hana!! Por tu trabajo mereces un premio, tus recetas son muy ricas, perfectas y hermosas!!!
You’re so welcome dear Marcela! Much love :)
So gorgeous, Hana! Is it possible to replace agar-agar with gelatin? What would be the proportion? Thanks so much, you’re super talented!
Thank you so much Olga! Yes, you can. You will have to measure the volume and add the gelatine accordingly. For the chocolate layer you will need enough to set 250ml and for the strawberry layer I would go for triple amount. Hope you enjoy the recipe :)
Thank you!
I would like to make this as banana/chocolate cake. Do you think the banana layer will turn brown on me? Do you have experience how to prevent it? Thank you.
Hi Gabriela, if you brush them with lemon juice that should stop them from browning. Hope you like the recipe :)
Love this recipe! I’ve made it a couple times now. I’m wondering if it is possible to modify it to an autumnal flavor torte by swapping the strawberries for something ginger or pumpkin. Have you done this? If so do you have my suggestions?
Hank
So much.