Cake Angels: Amazing gluten, wheat and dairy free cakes

* Whilst the chocolate is melting, in a big bowl mix the flours, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa powder. Use your fingers to get rid of any lumps caused by the muscovado sugar.

* Heat your milk in the microwave on high for about 20 seconds or heat for a couple of minutes in a small heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Take the milk off the heat, add the lemon juice and stir until the milk begins to thicken and look curdled. Congratulations, you now have dairy-free buttermilk.

* Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add the dairy-free buttermilk.

* Add the melted chocolate mixture and the beaten egg/milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a big metal spoon, stir until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, runny consistency.

* Pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 1¼ to 1½ hours.

* Whilst the cake is baking, make the fudge ganache. Put the chocolate, muscovado sugar, dairy-free spread, dairy-free evaporated milk and vanilla extract into a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until everything has melted. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool. Once cool, cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until spreadable.

* Once you think the cake is cooked, pierce the middle with a metal skewer and, if it comes out clean, then it is ready. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely on a metal cooling rack.

* When the cake has cooled, cut it in half horizontally, not worrying if the top cracks because this will be covered by the ganache. Sandwich the two halves together with a third of the ganache, then spread the remaining ganache over the top and sides of the cake, swirling it to give a frosted appearance.

* Holding the swivel-bladed vegetable peeler close to the edge of the bar of white dairy-free chocolate, run it along the top of the bar to shave off the curls. Sprinkle over the cake to decorate.

tip: Dab a small amount of apricot jam or glaze onto your cake board to hold the cake in place. It’s a heavy cake and you don’t want it to slip off.

Apple & blueberry cake

I am always telling people that cake is good for you – it’s the happy part of ‘happy and healthy’. That might not be completely true, but this rustic tea-time treat is packed full of antioxidants and vitamin C and is totally delish.

serves: 8 to 10

preparation: 20 minutes

baking: 2 hours

cooling: 50 minutes

freeze: Yes

325g (11½oz) wheat- and gluten-free self-raising flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp ground mixed spice

Pinch of salt

225g (8oz) dairy-free spread

160g (5½oz) caster sugar

225g (8oz) blueberries

450g (1lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and grated

3 large eggs, beaten

6 sugar cubes, crushed

equipment

2 x 20cm (8 inch) sandwich tins

* Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease the cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.

* Sift the flour, xanthan gum, mixed spice and salt into a large mixing bowl. Rub in the dairy-free spread until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, blueberries and apple. Add the beaten eggs and mix evenly.

* Spoon the mixture into the cake tin, smoothing the mixture evenly to the edge. Sprinkle the crushed sugar cubes evenly over the top of the mixture.

* Bake for 1½ to 2 hours or until a metal skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. If the cake isn’t ready, pop it back into the oven for a few more minutes.

* Remove the baked cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then turn out of the tin and finish cooling on a metal cooling rack.

tip: If you aren’t that keen on blueberries or you haven’t any to hand, substitute them with sultanas for an equally delicious tea-time treat.

Swirly blackcurrant cake

A really pretty cake that shrieks, ‘Look at me’. It’s full of fruity flavour and the blackcurrant conserve swirled through the sponge gives a traditional cake a beautiful twist.

serves: 8 to 10

preparation: 30 minutes

baking: 35 to 40 minutes

cooling: 30 minutes

freeze: No

300ml (10fl oz) soya milk

1½ tbsp lemon juice

150g (5½oz) dairy-free spread

225g (8oz) caster sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

½ tsp vanilla extract

225g (8oz) wheat- and gluten-free plain flour

1 tsp xanthan gum