Vegan gluten-free chocolate coconut friands recipe

October 31, 2017

Vegans will make friends with these friands.William Meppem

These individual cakes are utterly delicious and quick to make and bake. They're great served as a dessert with an intense dessert wine suited to chocolate, like a liqueur muscat.

Ingredients

250g cold water
10g cornflour or gluten-free flour mix
20g fine tapioca pearls
3 tsp ground chia seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground allspice
100g coconut milk
1 tsp vinegar
20g desiccated coconut
100g dark dairy-free chocolate, chopped
2 tsp vanilla extract
160g white gluten-free flour mix
20g cocoa
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
80g raw, coconut or muscovado sugar
flaked almonds to finish
extra sugar, any sort, to finish
icing sugar, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Grease 8 friand tins and heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-forced).
2. Put the water in a saucepan, whisk in the cornflour, add the tapioca and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the ground chia, turmeric and allspice, followed by the coconut milk and the vinegar.
3. In a small bowl mix together the desiccated coconut, chocolate, vanilla extract, cocoa, white flour mix, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and sugar. Stir the dry ingredients together evenly, breaking up any sugar lumps, and stir them through the tapioca mixture until just combined but no more (as the bicarb will have started to bubble).
4. Divide the mixture between friand tins, brush with water and sprinkle with sugar and flaked almonds. Bake for about 30 minutes then leave to cool. Carefully remove from the tins and dust with icing sugar (optional) to serve.
This recipe is adapted from Dan Lepard's coconut pearl cake.