Italian strawberry and chocolate chunk cake
A delicious taste of Italy using British strawberries makes for a perfect dessert or afternoon tea.
You’ll need a 20–22cm cake tin.
Ingredients
- 4 free-range eggs
- 175g/6oz extra virgin coconut oil or unsalted butter
- 200ml/7fl oz honey or maple syrup
- 150g/5½oz ground almonds
- 150g/5½oz white spelt flour
- ½ unwaxed lemon, zest only
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 150g/5½oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), broken into large chunks
- 250g/9oz strawberries, hulled and halved
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease the tine and line with baking paper.
Whisk the eggs in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk, on a high speed for 4–5 minutes, until thickened and increased in volume.
Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over a low heat. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the honey, almonds, flour, lemon zest, vanilla, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt. Fold in the whipped eggs until just combined.
Pour half of the mixture into the cake tin, sprinkle half the chocolate chunks on top and cover with half of the remaining cake mixture.
Place half of the strawberries on top, cover with the remaining cake mixture and top with half the remaining chocolate chunks and strawberries.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake feels firm and springs back to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Remove from the tin and allow to to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Melt the remaining chocolate in a glass bowl over boiling water, making sure the bowl doesn't come in contact with the water. Drizzle over the cooled cake and decorate with the fresh strawberries.
