When I first came to Perth (a long time ago), I worked for a few weeks at the newly opened Oriel Café in Subiaco … I can tell you that was quite an experience!

One of the wonderful things about being there, is that on my break I used to be able to eat this chocolate cake which was then called the Oriel Chocolate Cake.

Soon after the recipe for the cake was published in The West Australian, so I have had it a long time. It is vegan and dairy free (see note following), and nut free so is a winner on a few fronts. If wishing to keep it vegan and dairy free, simply replace the cream in the ganache with coconut cream, and ensure you use dairy free chocolate which is much more readily available these days.

I make a decent amount of ganache as I like to have two coats of it on top of the cake … the ganache keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks, giving you plenty of time to use leftovers to make truffles (add some essential oils to it – peppermint, wild orange, etc.), incorporate into custard (just mix in at the end of the cooking time – makes delicious chocolate custard!), or melt and serve as a chocolate sauce over ice-cream or other desserts.

For the glaze I use either Karo Light Corn Syrup (which does not have fructose in it), or GF glucose syrup. Whilst I haven’t tried it myself, you could also possibly use brown rice syrup.

To dispense the glaze I use a plastic sauce bottle that I bought specifically for this purpose … it has a small hole in the lid that is perfect for squeezing the glaze in whatever direction I want. Alternatively you can use a snap lock bag that you pour the glaze into, and then snip off a small hole in one corner and dispense the glaze from there.

I tried to make the glaze in the Thermomix but the rotation of the blade agitates the mix too much and thickens it, which is not what you want … so it is easier to use a microwave, or if you prefer use a small bowl over a pan of hot water stirring all the time until the mix is melted (it doesn’t take long).