Chocolate and Caramel Mini Cakes

A recipe from Nourish Cakes: Baking with a healthy twist by Marianne Stewart. The butternut squash ensures these are deliciously moist. Chocolate and caramel are a winning combination so thumbs up from all three kids for these 👍👍👍

(Despite my son exclaiming “I knew something was a bit suspicious when he spied veg in the recipe. My poor children, having a nutritionist mum they have been subjected to all sorts over the years. They just want ‘normal chocolate cake🤣).

Ingredients for the cakes

• 1/4 butternut squash, deseeded

• 45g dark chocolate

• 15g honey or maple syrup

• 2 tsp cocoa powder

• 2 eggs

• 105g coconut sugar

• pinch sea salt

• 1tsp vanilla extract

• 60g ground almonds

• 25g buckwheat flour or rice flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180C

Roast the butternut squash until tender Remove and leave to cool.

Scrape the flesh out with a spoon and blend until smooth.

Place the chocolate and puree in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and gently melt.

Take off the heat, add the honey and cocoa powder and mix well.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla together for 5 minutes, gently fold in the butternut squash puree and chocolate mixture.

In another bowl, sift together the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a greased 8 hole muffin tray and bake for 30 mins or until the cakes are springy to touch. Cool the cakes in the tin.

Ingredients for the Salted Caramel

• 180g soft pitted dates (soak in a little water to soften if needed)

• 20g cashew (or almond) butter

• 20g coconut oil

• 20g coconut sugar

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1tsp vanilla pate or extract

Process the dates with the remaining ingredients in a blender until it is a thick smooth paste.

Using a sharp knife cut a small hole in the middle of each cake, fill with the caramel.