Have your (chocolate) cake and eat it too! GF DF

Laure made this incredible chocolate cake from her mom's (my grandma's) birthday and was kind enough to let me decorate it! Instead of four layers, she made two and I used the filling as a frosting on each of the layers. I lined the bottom layer with blueberries to add height and used the chocolate ganache as a garnish, with more berries to decorate. We hope you enjoy this fabulous dessert!

 

Zenbelly No Joke Chocolate Cake (DF, GF)

This recipe made 2 small spring form pans. If you plan on making a large (10″ or so) cake, double the recipe.

FOR THE CAKE:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil (plus more for greasing pans)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING:
3/4 cup heavy cream (or equivalent in coconut cream, from the top of an unshaken can of coconut milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life because they’re gluten and soy free)
1 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE GANACHE GLAZE:
4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon honey

Make the cake:

• Preheat your oven to 350 and grease and line 2 small spring form pans (I used 6″, but you could use 8″ or 9″ and make a 2 layer cake instead of 4) Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Sift dry ingredients (almond flour through cocoa powder) into a medium sized bowl
• In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir to combine and add to the dry ingredients.
• Beat until well combined by hand, and pour into the prepared pans.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of your pans. If using larger ones, check after 20 minutes.

Make the chocolate whipped cream filling:

• Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water.
• Beat your cream until it’s fairly stiff.
• Add the melted chocolate and give it another quick whip, and scrape down the sides of the bowl so it’s mixed in well.

Make the ganache glaze:

• Melt the butter, unsweetened chocolate, and chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water. (you can use the same bowl you melted the chocolate in for the whipped cream, scraped out)
• Once it’s melted, stir in the honey and turn off the heat.
• Here’s where patience and attentiveness comes in: Remove the bowl from the heat and allow it to come to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. You want the ganache to thicken, but not get so hard that you’ll have to spread it on the cake. You want to be able to pour it. It will probably take about 1/2 hour to get to the right consistency, a good time to do all of the dishes you just made dirty.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!

• If you’re going for 4 layers, cut each cake in half, and arrange the bottom layer on a plate with parchment paper tucked in around the edged to keep the frosting from getting all over the plate. 
• Plop 1/3 of the chocolate whipped cream in the center and spread it out to the edges.
• Repeat
• Stick the cake in the fridge to allow the filling to harden a bit. 
• Once the ganache is at the right consistency, pour it over the top of the cake and push to the edges so it falls over. If the sides of your cake are prettier than mine, leaving it dripping might look nice. My cake was was a bit wacky, so I tried to spread the ganache to cover the sides. It didn’t really work. But like I’ve said before, I’m a chef, not a baker!

Who says gluten free dessert isn't absolutely fabulous?

Dr. Chelsea