Jaffa Cookie Cake

Gluten free - grain free - dairy free - can be refined sugar free - egg free - vegetarian - (contains tree nuts)
"Hello.  My name is Karen, and I'm a chocoholic.  I've been a chocoholic since I was about 15, when I had my first job and the means with which to buy as much chocolate as I wanted.  I have tried to make more desserts and treats without chocolate... really- I have!  But it's no use.  Dessert without chocolate is like rain without water, music without a melody, love without the spark." ....(an excerpt from my imaginary first meeting at C.A.: Chocoholics Anonymous.  But of course, I'd never go, because I never want to give it up.   I prefer the Chocoholics 12 Step plan to recovery :  never be further than 12 steps away from chocolate!!)...

Anyway....here's another beauty for all you fellow Chocoholics.  And better yet, for all of you that love that divinely inspired combination of orange and dark chocolate, together, in harmony, in one mouthful.  The inspiration for this Cookie Cake came from the lovely Brittany at Real Sustinance, and I've really only changed a couple of quantities, and slightly messed with the ingredient list and turned it into Jaffa heaven.  Cookie Cake is definitely an American invention- not something we really do here in Australia, but let me assure you it's well worth trying! 
    If this isn't enough chocolate love for you, check out my lists of sweets and snacks....you will find much more chocolately inspiration there too!
    You can also turn this dough into individual cookies rather than a cake.  Follow the method right down to the bit where you put it on a lined pizza tray.  Instead, just flatten tablespoon-sized balls of the dough onto a lined cookie tray and bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly golden. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (packed) almond meal

• 1 cup coconut sugar or rapadura sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons coconut oil (or organic butter)
• 2 Tablespoon vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons milk of choice (rice, soy, almond, coconut, dairy...I used almond milk)
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice
• 100g dairy free dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces (an orange flavoured chocolate works well!)
• 2 Teaspoons baking powder
• finely zested rind of 1 large orange (if you're not using an orange flavoured dark chocolate, the rind of two small oranges would increase the jaffa flavour)
• Chocolate icing of choice, with the addition of the finely grated rind of 1 orange (there are a couple of icing options in my book, Friendly Food for Chocoholics)

Method:

• Preheat fan forced oven to 170 degrees Celsius (180 if not fan forced).  Line a 30 cm diametre round pizza tray with baking paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar.   Sift in the baking powder and mix well. 
•  Add all wet ingredients and orange rind and stir until well combined and is able to come together in a thick mass (you're wanting cookie dough, not cake batter).
• Stir in the chocolate pieces last.
• Place the dough on your lined tray and push out with your hands or the back of a large spoon until it is evenly spread to the edges of the tray. Make sure it is smooth on top.  If the dough sticks to your hands or utensil, wet them a little (your hands, not the dough! ) and continue.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Leave to cool completely so it firms up, and so you can ice it.
• Remove to a serving plate (this works best by placing another plate on top of the cookie cake, flipping it over with the pizza tray still 'attached', so it is upside down on the plate, removing the pizza tray and baking paper, then placing the serving plate over the base of the cookie cake and inverting back the right way).
• Spread evenly over the cake. Decorate with orange zest or grated chocolate or dusted cocoa.
• I found this to be even better the following day- the cookie gets softer and a bit more cake-like.