Ingredients

For the cake

200g

butter, softened

200g

light brown sugar

eggs

2 tsp

orange extract

180g

gluten free self-raising flour

25g

cocoa powder

1/4 tsp

baking powder

1/4 tsp

xanthan gum

For the icing

300g

icing sugar, sifted

150g

softened butter

100g

dark chocolate, melted

1 tsp

orange extract

for decoration

Terry's chocolate orange segments

a small handful of decorations (optional)

The perfect alternative gluten-free Christmas Cake!

Many thanks to Nikibakes for the recipe.

Method

Preheat your oven to 180C and prepare a brownie tin with greaseproof paper, set aside.
Cream together your softened butter and sugar using an electric hand whisk. Do so until lighter in colour and fluffier in texture.
Gradually add your eggs and mix in alongside your orange extract.
Sift your gluten-free flour, cocoa, baking powder, and xanthan gum, and then mix with your electric hand whisk until combined.
Spoon your mixture into your prepared loaf tin and place in the preheated oven for 50 minutes.
After 50 minutes, remove from the oven and put to one side on a cooling rack whilst you make the buttercream.
Whilst your cake cools you can make the chocolate orange buttercream. Place your butter in a stand mixer (or electric hand whisk if you don't have a stand mixer), and mix on its own on high speed for about 5 minutes. The butter should change from a more yellow colour to being a lot more pale.
Melt your dark chocolate, and put to one side to cool whilst making the rest of the buttercream.
Add your icing sugar gradually to the butter, I mix each addition of icing sugar for around 3-5 minutes before adding the second half.
Now add in your melted dark chocolate and orange extract and mix briefly to combine. It should be the right consistency at this point.
Spread your icing all over the top of your cake and then decorate as you wish. Enjoy!