Modesty is a virtue …. but if you create a really excellent recipe then it’s only fair to shout about it. Especially if it has chocolate in. Even more so, if it’s really easy to make, and kind of healthy, if you are like me, and class anything with a ground almond base as healthy regardless of what the other component parts are…the chocolate is dark chocolate anyway, and everyone knows that’s the healthy kind.

Start by melting about 70g (or 3 rows of a bar of dark ghana if, you want to get really specific about measurements)  and about 40g of butter over hot water – grate in the zest of an orange. While it melts, whisk 4 eggs. Now usually I’m a bit lazy with my whisking – a quick whirl around, and I’m in with the sugar. Today I just had a bit more time – everyone was either out,or occupied, so I found myself in a bit of a trance with the whisk in hand and next thing the eggs were all properly fluffy. Add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar to the eggs and whisk it in – then 1 and 1/2 cups of ground almonds and 1/2 cup of brown rice flour. Add the juice of half an orange and a teaspoon of gf baking powder (if you like – these cakes rise fine without because of the eggs so if you want to keep the ingredients pure and simple you could skip it – but it will be a bit fluffier and puffier if you put it in).

Whisk in the chocolate mix, pop in muffin cases and they are ready in about 12 – 15 minutes – same with all cakes. they are ready when they ‘spring back’ to the touch or a knife comes out clean.

Now all that’s left to be decided is what to eat them with – I’m thinking a large scoop of greek yogurt will do very nicely. (If you’re wondering how I know these are  good when I’m yet to eat them then that would be the ‘fresh from the oven taste test’ I conducted earlier.. baker’s perk. So, little chocolate orange cakes, you have inspired me to create a ‘top picks’ tag … so in the future I can search my hundreds of recipes and find you and others like you.