Tuesday, December 03, 2013

A Different Sort of Chocolate Cake




So recently we had our first family holiday. A coupon deal came up and we grabbed a one night stay at a 4.5 star hotel at The Sebel in Mandurah, Perth. To many West Australians, Mandurah is a sleepy little place just on border of metro Western Australia. To us though, it was where we sneaked out for dates when we were in University and when hubby popped the question at the jetty 4.5 years ago. It seems fitting that we bring Asher there for his first night out of home.

Truth be told, it's because we are "testing out" the waters of bringing Asher out overnight. We thought an hour away means we are far enough to do the testing, but close enough to return home if we get desperate. Thankfully, Asher adapted pretty well. I learned a few things in this short trip.

- It's ok to bring more diapers. In this case, less is not more!
- I would choose to have Asher's things in a separate bag next time if we are going for longer trips.
- Collect samples. I brought the samples on the trip for nappy cream, body wash, moisturiser and it worked a treat!
- Bring my baby carrier. I'm beginning to value my baby carrier more and more....
- Hubby and I had dinner at 6pm which is usually the start of Asher's sleep routine, to counter a very cranky baby in a fancy restaurant, I feed him and managed to put him down for a nap.
- If we really want to have dinner out, make it 6pm and not later! Poor Ash was clearly tired at 7:30 even though he had a nap.


No doubt there will be more thoughts as we begin planning our travel back to SG/KL end of January. Any tips from experienced travellers?


I'm a big fan of Teresa Cutter. It's my go-to place for treats and other healthy meal ideas. She made healthy food looks AMAZING and so delicious. In fact, I don't think I have ever had a bad batch of baking from her recipes before. This different sort of chocolate cake is not something I have not made before. Her one- bowl cake is delicious and really, I adapted her recipe to suit us but it's basically the same.

What I think it's different in this cake, is the Coconut Chocolate Ganache. Yup. It's ganache made of coconut cream instead of normal cream. It makes so much sense actually to replace normal cream with coconut.  So handy as I almost always forget to buy cream but I usually have coconut milk or cream in my pantry. First it adds flavour, and 2nd it doesn't leave me with the "I ate too much ganache" feeling. The 2nd point is dangerous though because it is tempting to polish off a bowl of the ganache. It's still a treat and it still has chocolate in it. Best of all, my parents in law who does not like dairy loved it!

If you are looking for a christmas treat, this could be an idea!


A Different Sort of Cake with Coconut Chocolate Ganache. (serves 25)
3 cups almond meal
1/2 cup of cacao powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
125ml olive oil or coconut oil
125 ml of almond milk
1 tablespoon of raw honey

Preheat fan forced oven to 150C. Whisk eggs, oil, milk,vanilla and honey together. Pour wet over dry ingredients and fold. Pour into prepared lined baking tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Coconut Chocolate Ganache
250ml Coconut Cream
200grams dark chocolate

Heat cream gently. Break chocolate into cream and gently fold till it melts and turn glossy. Cool before placing on cake.




 photo MTWsignature_zpsaefba23f.png

7 comments:

  1. Woohoo, Asher's first overnight trip! Can see he is very happy

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  2. Babies under 6 months old are easiest to travel with. Hopefully Asher will sleep for most of the flight. We will be travelling to Australia in February with a 2.5-month-old baby, which ought to be an experience especially with a 5-year-old in tow! Here are some tips from travelling with my boy since he was 5 months old:

    Book seats with a bassinet. If you're taking a stroller, ask to check it in at the gate just before boarding (I used the baby carrier exclusively with my son until he was 10 months old so didn't have to deal with travelling with a bulky pram until he was older). Nursing while taking off and landing will help baby cope with ear pressure. Pack only what you need and buy nappies and other supplies at the destination (stuff are cheaper in S'pore and M'sia anyway).

    Hope this helps!

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  3. love love the picture of all you three and this chocolate cake looks fantastic. I have plenty of almond meal to make this today!

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  4. Love your gluten free chocolate cake with coconut chocolate ganache, sounds yum! Asher is just too adorable and glad you survived the first family holiday. :)

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  5. Aww Asher is getting bigger! :) I agree with expat gourmand. I was so scared to fly with a baby but when I think back, that was the easiest... toddler time is way more difficult! So enjoy your trip! Bring some new toy that he'll be interested (not the same stuff he's been playing). Pack different kinds of toys and books (something light) so you can keep changing. Good luck! The cake looks so delicious!

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  6. hi daphne, that's a really nice family photo and you look great too!i think it's good to pack some of fever medicine along too..in the handcarry..

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  7. Hello there. Asher looks like such a happy baby! Did I read your recipe right? Serves 25?! Wow!

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