Paleo Blackout Chocolate Cake
/It's true... I finished grad school yesterday! I’m officially a Master (not the Jedi kind, just the regular kind).
The number one question I’ve be getting over the last few months is “What are you going to do now?” which makes me feel like I should yell, “I’M GOING TO DISNEY LAND!” but that’s not at all what I’m going to do so I have refrained so far.
I don't really know what to shout, so instead I'll just go on expressing my emotions through food. This is how graduation feels right now:
Yup, as sweet as cake. Blackout Chocolate Cake, to be exact.
It's pretty rare that I'll commit to making a cake. Even though the decadence is worth the effort, it's just not practical for a household of two. We end up eating cake twice a day, every day, until it's gone (Yup, breakfast of champions...). On this occasion, I went for it anyways, because it felt monumental. Since I'm not have a graduation party, I had to live it up somehow.
As naughty as this cake looks, it can actually hold it's own on the nutrition front. Seriously, I can eat a slice of this on an empty stomach and not get a sugar rush. The frosting is super lush, but only requires three ingredients: coconut milk, chocolate, and a spoonful of coconut flour to help it reach the right consistency. The cake itself get's it's soft crumb from whipped eggs, coconut flour, and cocoa powder. If you skipped the cashew sprinkle on top, it would be totally nut free!
Paleo Blackout Chocolate Cake
Yields: 1 two-layer 8-inch cake | Total Time:
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 6 tablespoons cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons honey, melted
- 3/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
- 9 eggs
- 2 cups canned coconut milk (full-fat)
- 1-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- Optional: Chopped nuts for garnish
For the frosting:
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease two 8-inch cake pans.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the cake. Set aside.
- Melt the coconut oil (or butter) and honey. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, and then beat in the eggs, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
- Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture half at a time. Batter should be light and may have a few small clumps, but should be well incorporated.
- Divide the batter into two 8-inch cake pans. Place in oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
- Remove from oven, and set on a cool wrack for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the cakes cool, make the frosting: heat coconut milk in a small sauce pan until it simmers. Remove from heat, and add the chocolate chips. Allow the chips to melt, and then use a whisk to mix until smooth. Cover and place in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Remove frosting mixture from fridge. Use an electric beater to beat in 1 teaspoon of coconut flour at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency.
- Assemble the cake: run a knife around the rim of each cake pan and gently tap to loosen. Flip over, and remove cake from pan. Place first cake on serving plate. Spread 1/2 cup of the frosting mixture over top in an even layer. Place second cake over top. Use about 3/4 cup of the frosting to apply a thin layer over frosting over entire cake--it doesn't have to be perfect, this layer is simply for patching up holes and catching crumbs. Finally, use remaining frosting to add finishing layer around entire cake. Decorate with chopped nuts.
