Ingredients
• Melted butter, to grease
• 2 cups water
• 2½ cups caster sugar
• 250g butter, chopped
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2½ cups gluten-free self-raising flour
• 1 cup almond meal
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 4 eggs, whisked
• ¼ cup roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped, to decorate
Icing
• 80g butter
• ¹⁄³ cup water
• ½ cup caster sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1½ cups gluten-free icing sugar mixture
Note: Allow 20 minutes cooling.
Method
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Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 26 x 22 x 4cm baking tin with melted butter, then line with baking paper. Put water, sugar, butter, cocoa and bicarb of soda in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until butter has melted and mixture is well combined. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Take care that mixture does not boil over pan. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
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Combine flour, almond meal and xanthan gum in a large bowl. Add cooled chocolate mixture and egg, then stir until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake for 50 minutes or until cake is cooked through when tested with a skewer. Stand in tin for 10 minutes before turning out out onto a wire rack. Cool.
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Meanwhile, to make icing, combine butter, water and caster sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves without bringing to the boil. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Sift cocoa and icing sugar mixture into a medium bowl. Add cooled butter mixture and stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until frosting thickens.
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When cake is cool, remove icing from fridge and beat with a wooden spoon until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Spread icing onto cake, then decorate with hazelnut. Cut and serve.
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