Deliciously Ella’s Chocolate Fudge Torte Recipe

I ate so many pieces of this torte while we were testing the recipe! It’s rich, indulgent and chocolatey with a lovely mix of ground almonds, maple and dates.

for the chocolate torte
300g ground almonds
150g buckwheat flour
50g cacao powder
50g coconut sugar
pinch of sea salt
200ml maple syrup
100ml date syrup
200ml almond milk
the water from 1 × 400g tin of chickpeas (not the chickpeas themselves)

for the chocolate sauce
200g pitted dates
600ml almond milk
4 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon coconut oil
pinch of sea salt

to serve (optional)
20g freeze-dried raspberries, crushed

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (fan 180ºC). Line a 25 × 18cm deep baking tray with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground almonds, buckwheat flour, cacao powder, coconut sugar and salt, stirring well to remove any lumps. When the mixture is well combined, add the maple syrup, date syrup, almond milk and chickpea water and mix until it comes together to form a smooth mixture. Pour the mixture into the lined tray and bake for 20–25 minutes, until cooked through but still a little fudgy. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tray until room temperature, around 30 minutes.

Make the chocolate sauce by placing the dates in a pan over a medium heat and covering them with the almond milk. Cook for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a paste has formed. Add the cacao powder, coconut oil and salt and stir until combined, adding a little more almond milk if it becomes too thick. Once a thick paste has formed, remove from the heat and leave to cool.Once cool, transfer to a food processor and pulse until smooth.

When the torte has cooled, gently lift it out of the baking tray and cut into rectangles, about 3 × 10cm. Serve each piece of torte with a dollop of the chocolate sauce – you can use the back of your spoon to brush it across the plate for a fancy effect. Sprinkle with a handful of freeze-dried raspberries, if using, before serving.

TIPS
This torte is delicious served with any kind of berry-based yoghurt or ice cream. You can store the leftover torte in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe extracted from Deliciously Ella The Plant-Based Cookbook, published by Yellow Kite, £25
Photography by Nassima Rothacker