Description
These Chocolate Cranberry Christmas Mini Cakes are a delightful vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free treat perfect for the holiday season. Featuring a rich cacao-infused cake base paired with a tangy cranberry chia jam and coated in smooth dark vegan chocolate, these mini cakes combine festive flavors and textures. Ideal for those with dietary restrictions, they provide a moist, flavorful dessert that’s both wholesome and beautifully decorated with fresh cranberries.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 3/4 cup brown rice flour (110 grams)
- 1/2 cup quinoa flour (60 grams)
- 1/4 cup arrowroot (30 grams)
- 1/4 cup cacao powder (30 grams)
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (80 ml)
- 1/3 cup olive oil (80 ml)
- 1/4 cup aquafaba (60 ml)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup rice milk (120 ml)
Cranberry Chia Jam
- 1 cup cranberries (100 grams)
- 1/4 cup orange juice (60 ml)
- Little orange zest
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Small cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Coating
- 3.5-ounce dark vegan chocolate (100 grams)
- 1/4 cup rice milk (60 ml)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Fresh or dried cranberries for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line a 9″ x 9″ baking tin with baking paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, quinoa flour, arrowroot, cacao powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and a pinch of sea salt. Set this mixture aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, aquafaba, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and rice milk until thoroughly blended.
- Form Batter: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter should be pourable but not too thin to ensure proper texture.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, smoothing out the top evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Cut Shapes: Allow the cake to cool in the tin before carefully lifting it out. On a flat surface, use a 2″ round cutter to cut out 11-12 mini cake shapes.
- Prepare Cranberry Chia Jam: In a pot, combine cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup, orange zest, and the optional cinnamon stick. Gently heat for about 10 minutes until the cranberries burst and soften. Remove the cinnamon stick and mash the cranberries with a fork until smooth. Stir in chia seeds and let the jam cool, then refrigerate to set.
- Assemble Cakes: Sandwich two mini cake rounds together with a generous dollop of the cranberry chia jam.
- Make Chocolate Coating: Finely chop the dark vegan chocolate and place it in a small bowl. Gently heat the rice milk until it just reaches boiling point, pour it over the chopped chocolate, and stir until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the maple syrup.
- Coat and Decorate: Pour the chocolate mixture over each sandwich cake, smoothing it out so it drips slightly over the edges. Decorate with fresh or dried cranberries while the chocolate is still wet for an attractive finish.
Notes
- For a moister cake version, use 120 ml (1/2 cup) maple syrup, 80 ml (1/3 cup) rice milk, and add 120 ml (1/2 cup) cranberry puree instead of jam. To make the puree, blend the cooked cranberries from the jam recipe until smooth, omitting the chia seeds.
- The holly leaf decoration used in photos is not edible; alternatively, a sprig of fresh rosemary adds a lovely green festive touch.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cake (approx. 50 grams)
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
