Rum Runner's Chocolate Fix


Grey windy days call for comfort food. There is no two ways about it. Winter comes and my chocolate cravings sky rocket! If you use good quality pure chocolate wisely, it is possible to nourish body and mind without compromising your healthy lifestyle. 

This recipe will serve 12 but if you only need to impress 6 guests, no problem. Freeze half the cake and half the leftover rum sauce and you will save yourself a lot of work next time you are in the mood for Rum Runner's Chocolate Fix!

You need
•parchment paper
•a round 8 inch (20 cm) spring form baking pan
•mixer
•sharp long knife


Ingredients for the Cake
•1/2 cup (120 ml) of oil 
•2/3 cups (94 grams) of coconut flour
•1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened good quality cacao powder
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•6 medium sized eggs
•3/4 cup (180 ml) agave nectar
•1/2 cup (120 ml) water
•1 tbs vanilla extract

Ingredients for Rum Sauce
•1 tsp of grounded cloves 
•1 tsp of grounded bay leave
•1 tsp of grounded cinnamon 
•4 tbs date molasses or agave nectar
•150g of  raisins
•juice of 4 oranges (2 cups)
•juice of 2 limes (2 tbs)
•1 cup of dark rum

Baking the Cake
•Preheat the oven to 170C
•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).
•combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside
•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy add the wet ingredients, bit by bit, letting them blend in nicely
•add the dry ingredients into the wet, allowing them to mix well till the batter has become a whole
•pour into the pan and make sure the mixture is spread evenly
•bake for 40 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)
•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the spring form, put it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

Preparing the Rum Sauce
•put the raisins in the rum and let the raisins soak up some of the liquid (approx. 30 min.)
•the put the raisins with the liquid and the spices and the agave in a saucepan and let the liquid simmer till it has reduced and becomes thicker (approx. 15 min), allowing the alcohol to evaporate a bit.

Putting it together
•slice thin pieces of cake
•pour plenty of rum sauce over it.

Remarks
•I realize that depending of how you extract the juice of the oranges and lime, the size of the fruit and the time of the year, you might end up with more or less juice. So go by the amount of cups/tbs (rather than the number of oranges/limes);
•in some parts of the world, agave is more common than date molasses. I tried it both ways. I definitely loved the date molasses variation better. It gives it a 'richer' taste.
•see the pictures below for 2 types of presentations...