Chocolate

Almond, coconut and berry shortcake recipe with dark chocolate

Makes 9 shortcakes
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Make a sweet treat for afternoon tea with our delicious shortcake recipe. With almond, coconut and berry flavours (plus a generous topping of dark chocolate!) these shortcakes are too good to resist.

You can swap sugar for stevia here. This plant-based sweetener is an alternative to sugar. It comes from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. This is within the chrysanthemum family and is native to Brazil and Paraguay. The stevia products we buy on the shelves are made from a heavily refined version of the plant’s leaf. The refined product is between 150 and 200 times sweeter than sugar, so you may want to take extra care.

You’ll usually find it in a blend with other sweeteners in commercial products. The amounts of stevia to use instead of sugar can vary from brand to brand, so it’s important to read the label and use the correct amount of stevia. Some brands have a 1:1 stevia to sugar replacement ratio (eg 100g of stevia for 100g of sugar) and others have a 1:2 ratio (eg use 50g of stevia for 100g of sugar).

Find out more about stevia here

When choosing the chocolate for your topping on your shortcake recipe, opt for one that’s at least 70% cocoa solids. This will help you to glean the most wellbeing benefits. It might sound too good to be true, but dark chocolate has plenty of health benefits. Rich in natural antioxidants and vital minerals including potassium, iron, magnesium and copper, dark chocolate is actually really good for you.

Discover more delicious chocolate recipes from Liz Earle Wellbeing

Ingredients

  • 50g butter, softened
  • 150g sugar or stevia equivalent amount
  • 2 organic eggs
  • 1 tbsp almond extract
  • 200g almond flour

For the toppings

  • 5 raspberries
  • 100g 80% dark chocolate
  • 3 large strawberries, sliced
  • 2 tbsp dessicated coconut

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Beat together the butter and stevia until creamy, then whisk in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.
  2. Add the almond extract and mix well, before slowly beating in the almond flour.
  3. Divide the mixture into a fairycake tin. Filling a piping bag with the dough and piping it in makes it easier. Otherwise, use an ice cream scoop or a couple of tablespoons in each hole.
  4. Make a hole in four or five of them and fill with a raspberry.
  5. Bake for 35 minutes until golden, then remove from the oven to cool.
  6. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.
  7. When the cakes are cool enough to safely handle, dip each one into the melted chocolate and put on a cooling rack. Immediately stick the sliced strawberries on top of the cakes without a raspberry centre and sprinkle coconut over all of them. Leave the chocolate to set, then serve.