A deep, rich cake perfect for special occasions. No one will even tell it's vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free.

1 1/2 c non-dairy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c flour (I've used spelt and buckwheat on different occasions and both worked fine)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 c cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c rice syrup
1/2 c sunflower or rice bran oil
grated zest of 1 orange or lemon
4 tbsp jam (I use sugar-free St Dalfour)
juice of half orange or lemon

Ganache:
1 can coconut cream/milk
250 g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa, broken into pieces.

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 20 or 22cm round cake tin.

In a medium bowl mix the milk with the apple cider vinegar and set aside for 10 min.

In a large bowl sift in the dry ingredients and mix.

Add syrup, oil and zest to the milk mixture and mix well. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Don't overmix.

Pour into cake tin and bake 20-25 min until cooked through and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from the tin and let cool completely. Once cool slice cake in half horizontally. You can also trim the top off the cake if it has domed.

Heat the jam and juice in a small saucepan until it comes to the boil. Spread this over both cake layers. This will keep the cake moist and stop any ganache from seeping into the cake.

Make the ganache by heating the coconut milk/cream in a saucepan until it starts to bubble but is not boiling. Put chocolate pieces in a bowl. Remove milk from heat and pour over chocolate pieces. Gently stir until fully mixed, then let cool at room temperature until it is thick and spreadable. This will take a couple of hours but you can speed up the process by putting the bowl in the fridge and stirring every 10 min until thickened.

Place bottom cake back in the cake tin and cover with half the ganache. Place top cake on top and cover with rest of ganache. Refrigerate until ganache is firm. Remove from cake tin and place on your serving plate. Decorate with chocolate scrolls if you like.