An easy sponge cake recipe is my go to for a quick pud for Sunday dinners. This chocolate sponge recipe is one of those recipes I just love to make, as it is so reminiscent of school dinner days and home cooked, hearty food.

Asked to shake it up a little for a dairy and gluten free option, I felt I needed to try adding a touch of something extra, to ensure there wasn’t that gluten free kind of aftertaste I often find.

Using individual pudding/flan dishes made the presentation a little more special, and of course you can always add a dollop of dairy free ice cream for that extra pizazz. So, here is my home cooked version of a cherry and chocolate sponge with a rich dark chocolate sauce.

MAKES 10-12 SMALL SPONGES// TIME: 1 HOUR // EASY

Cherry & Chocolate Sponge Ingredients:

For the sponge:

• 225g Vitalite Margarine
• 225g Golden Caster Sugar
• 220g Self Raising Gluten Free Flour
• 2tsp Baking Powder
• 50g Cocoa Powder
• 4 Free-range Eggs
• 1 Tin of Cherry Pie Filling (I used Princes)

For the dark chocolate sauce:

• 150g 60% Classic Dark Chocolate Bar
• 75g Vitalite Non Dairy Spread
• 375ml Alpro Soya Cream (or other non-dairy alternative)
• 3tbsp Golden Caster Sugar
• 3tbsp Brandy or Rum (this is optional)

Cherry & Chocolate Sponge Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line the bases of 12 x 8-10cm tins with baking paper. I simply used muffin cases flattened out in the base of the tins and it worked really effectively.
2. Put the vitalite and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the beaten  eggs, flour, and baking powder and beat for a further 2 minutes, or until nicely blended.
3. Divide the mixture evenly between the required number of tins, creating a slight dent in the middle of each. Add a spoon of the cherry pie filling into each dent (my 10cm tins made 12 individual pudds).
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes (the tops of the cakes should spring back when pressed lightly). Leave the cakes for a couple of minutes then turn the cakes out onto your serving plates.
5. Break up the bars of chocolate and pop into a microwave suitable bowl. Heat in short bursts, stirring  in between bursts until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
6. Heat the butter, cream, sugar, and brandy (if using) in a saucepan until combined. Then take off the heat, and stir the melted chocolate into the pan, stirring until smooth (which can take a couple of minutes).
7. Peel of the paper cases from your cakes, and serve with your chocolate sauce.

Get your Ingredients…

Classic Vegan Dark Chocolate Bar

Our luxurious classic dark chocolate bar has been handcrafted in our York kitchen, using 60% cocoa solids, a hint of natural vanilla flavouring and the perfect touch of sugar, to enhance the beautiful, rich taste in each bite.