A more traditional (and flexible!) chocolate cake
Cakes, Desserts
Last weekend we had the whole extended family at our house for a family reunion. There was everything to celebrate so we wanted a giant chocolate cake for dessert (there…
Shortbread is one of the quickest and easiest biscuits/cookies to make! It has no eggs and really just 3 essential ingredients: here those are honey, spelt flour and butter. We use whole organic spelt flour we buy in bulk from Doves Farm and an organic grass fed butter, then the best honey we can get for the most nutritional value. We choose the flour we do first for being organically grown, for being wholegrain, and for having a slightly different nutritional profile to regular wheat that we prefer while still being a gluten containing flour that works in the way wheat does – but you choose for you!
Whole Spelt Honey Shortbread
Shortbread is one of the easiest things to make! This is a more wholefood version of the white flour and sugar classic. Make it in squares or two longer rectanges for a stacked dessert like the one here.
Servings: 8 shortbread squares
Equipment
- whisk
- bowl
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- Fork
- Knife
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 4 oz Soft Butter Coconut oil also works well for a diary free option, just replace oz for oz.
- 2 oz Honey/Maple Syrup
- 5 oz Whole Spelt flour
- Pinch Pink salt
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 T Chocolate Chunks (optional)
Cream
- 8 oz Double Cream or Coconut Cream
- 1 tsp Honey
- 1/2 T Whisky (optional)
Fruit
- 4 cups Chopped Fresh Strawberries Or any other fruit you want!
To Decorate
- 1 oz Dark Chocolate
Instructions
- Mix together the honey, vanilla, and butter/oil in a medium sized mixing bowl until it's smooth and even.
- Weigh out the flour and add half of it to the bowl, mixing well with a spoon to combine.
- Add the second hand, with the salt and mix to combine with the spoon or get your hands in!
- You want a dough that just comes together in a sticky ball, without pulling apart if you touch it with a clean finger. If it's too wet, add another tablespoon and mix together.
- Turn the dough out onto parchment paper and use clean fingers to form into a square. (Tip: If you can't touch it without it sticking to your fingers or the paper you need more flour - pop it back in the bowl and add 1-2T more.)
- Cut the dough into 8 pieces, or however many you want. To make a stacked rectangluar dessert, just slice it down the centre into two long rectanges.
- Use a knife to slide underneath and separate the pieces slightly for cooking. They won't spread but the space will help them cook evenly.
- Place the parchment paper onto a tray or baking sheet and into the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
- When the dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge and put it in the oven. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, they should be golden brown at the edges and just firm to the touch if you gently (and carefully!) press the centre with your finger.
- Allow them to cool on the baking sheet as they'll firm up there, and when fully cool tranfer them to a sealed container to store.
Assembling the Shortbread Stack
- This can be assembled an hour before eating it but to keep the shortbread texture, I don't recommend assembling it much before that. But you can prep all the components to it's easy when you need to!
- While the shortbread it cooking, whip the cream by hand or with an electric mixer until you get good peaks forming in the cream and it holds its shape.
- Add in the whisky and the honey and beat a few extra seconds. Then chill until you're ready to assemble.
- Chop the strawberries and chill in a bowl until you're ready to assemble.
- Place one shortbread flat on a plate, scoop on half the cream and spread it out, then half the strawberries.
- Use a veggie peeler to make curls of chocolate by running it down the side of the bar of chocolate over the strawberries.
- Add the second shortbread, cream, strawberries and chocolate and you're ready to serve!
