Gluten Free Spiced Nut Brownie Cake

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I love this recipe. You've got a moist and chocolatey brownie with spiced walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. A hint of cinnamon and cayenne pepper add a bit of unexpected heat to a traditional brownie recipe. It's all finished off with a grating of fresh dark chocolate. There can't be anything simpler! This cake would be perfect for Mother's Day, too. A nice chocolatey treat for a well-deserving mom. And who doesn't love a good brownie?

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Ingredients: 

For the spiced nuts
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
scant 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts
1 tsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg white
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

For the brownie cake 
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup gluten free plain flour
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg +1 yolk
dark chocolate for grating

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All right, let's cook:

For the spiced nuts, preheat the oven to 110C, and beat the egg white and water until frothy in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Stir in the nuts using a wooden spoon until evenly coated.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt in a separate bowl. Pour over the nuts and mix well to coat.

Spread the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the sugar coating is firm and dry. This should take about 20 to 25 minutes. All the nuts to cool completely while you get on with the cake.

For the brownie cake, when the nuts are cooling, increase the oven to 200C and allow to come to temperature.

Tumble all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the wet ingredients and  mix with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.

Add the egg and additional yolk, taking care to mix well. Grate in a bit of chocolate and stir in the cooled nuts. Mix well and pour into a fluted flan or pie dish.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownie cake comes out clean. Remember, there will be pockets of melted chocolate from the grated chocolate, so you may need to insert the toothpick into various places until it consistently comes out clean.

Grate over a bit more chocolate and serve still slightly warm.