So, I know it has been awhile since my last post. Lots happening in WP world: quit one job, started another (getting settled has consumed the last month), end of school and birthday for the little man. Whew, things are finally settling into a new routine.
But little man's bday and parents visiting was inspiring in the baking sense and it was a win. Even my dad who is very resistant to all things Paleo gave this cake a thumbs up. It is rich and chocolately and just amazing. The cake recipe originated from these brownie bites by Slimpalate. And then the frosting started with this recipe by crossfitpulse. And then I started tweaking. Because we all know I love to tweak recipes!
Voila, enjoy!
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting
(This recipe makes a one layer, 9" diameter cake - double it for two layers and let me know how it comes out!)
Cake
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I just discovered Hershey's has one that is 100% cacao and much cheaper)
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (in the summer, my coconut oil is pretty much melted from the jar but 10-15 seconds in the microwave should take care of it the rest of the year)
1/2 cup honey (the recipe as written calls for Stevia plus water but I am not sure how I feel about Stevia yet so better to go all natural right?)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (I have also done with recipe with 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp orange extract - SUPER YUM)
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-Using either coconut oil spray from Trader Joe's or some melted coconut oil, grease your cake pan liberally.
-Combine all dry ingredients.
-Combine all wet ingredients.
-Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir thoroughly. If you don't feel like stirring a lot (because otherwise the almond flour clumps up), throw the whole mixture in the blender (I love my Ninja!) or food processor and zap for a minute or so.
-Pour into cake pan - no need to leave much room at the top as it doesn't expand much.
-Cook for approximately 35 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. Ovens vary so use your judgment here.
-Let cool in the pan and then flip it out onto a plate
If you don't feel like making the frosting below, you can also mix some almond butter with a bit of honey or maple syrup and spread on top. Make sure to eat right away though because it doesn't hold up long and slides off! Another variation is to add some Enjoy Life chocolate chunks. I get mine at Whole Foods or Stop and Shop but they are apparently also available on Amazon. S&S here has them for $4.69 a bag - YIKES!
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
1 bag Enjoy Life chocolate chips or chunks
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 tbs vanilla extract (can add the orange or raspberry extract here too - just change to 1/4 tbs each)
2 heaping tbs of almond butter (I used a big ass kitchen spoon because I love the chocolate/almond butter flavor combo)
-In a shallow pan (I suppose you could use a double boiler but it wasn't necessary), combine the "chocolate" chips, coconut oil and almond butter over low low heat.
-Stir frequently until the entire mixture is melted and combined.
-Add the vanilla extract and continue stirring until combined well.
-Pour into a glass bowl and let cool a bit.
-Spread over your cake and then refrigerate the whole lot for about 30 minutes.
Ok, so here's the catch with the icing - it gets very hard if you refrigerate it too long. But it melts back down pretty quickly if left on the counter or zapped in the microwave on LOW for 30 seconds or so. You need to be careful about burning and separating the chocolate though so probably best to leave it right away. When you are ready to serve the cake, take it out about 10 minutes before you need to cut it to return the frosting to a cuttable texture.
Questions? Email me or leave me a message on the Working Paleo Facebook page (where you can also find a picture of this fab cake)!
Julie
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