Grain Free Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Wednesday, February 19, 2014 Alanna Figueira 0 Comments

This chocolate cake is crack.  It's decadent, moist, and easy to make.  It will be your go-to birthday cake, cupcake, pms cake recipe.  No one will ever know its completely grain free.  It's actually cake-like; not dense, not eggy. Perfection. My 2 year old literally goes crazy over this cake. It's an awesome smash cake recipe for a first birthday party, without the gluten/grain and refined sugar. I've made it over and over again and it's perfect every time.

This recipe makes a 2 layer cake in 2- 8x8 pans or about 16 cupcakes. I've used this recipe for smaller multi-layer cakes, cupcakes, and 2 layer cakes.  Coconut oil substitutes perfectly in place of butter.  I just like butter.   I'm going to include cake pop directions, directions for filling cupcakes, and directions for a coconut cream filling.  At the bottom, you can find a dairy free chocolate frosting.  

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2/3 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup almond flour

1 cup chocolate chips (use enjoylife brand for dairy/soy free)

1 cup butter (can sub ghee or coconut oil)

1/2 cup sucanat, coconut sugar, or maple sugar 

1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp raw unsweetened cocoa

1/3 cup full fat unsweetened coconut milk, use the top of the can fat 

2 tbsp water

2 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325F.  Spray a glass pie pan or line a muffin tin with 16 muffin papers. 

2.  In a large mixing bowl, add the coconut flour, almond flour, cocoa, baking soda and sea salt. 

3.  Combine coconut sugar, butter and water in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, just until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Immediately add chocolate chips; stir until melted. Immediately after add the coconut milk.

4.  Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add the vanilla to the eggs.  Add the eggs to the dry ingredient bowl. 

5.  Add the sugar/butter/water/chocolate chip/coconut milk mixture to the dry ingredient bowl.  

6.  Use a hand mixer on low to mix batter.  You can't over mix it, just mix until smooth and all combined.  If you don't have a hand mixer or stand mixer, use your hand. 

7.  Pour the batter into the cake pan or muffin papers.

8.  Bake at 325F for about 30 mins for cupcakes and also for 2-8x8 cakes, or until cooked through.  Baking time will vary for smaller cake pans.  Enjoy!

Warm the butter and chocolate chips on low on the stove until just barely melted.  Do not let the chips over heat!  Add the melty mixture to the food processor.  Add the coconut cream (the solid fat at the top if the can only), coconut sugar and vanilla.  Process until smooth.  

Whipped Coconut Cream Filling/Topping

This filling can be used to fill cupcakes, as the filling of a layered cake or as a light whipped topping for cupcakes or cake. It doesn't melt off like you'd think, it sort of hardens over time.  Refrigerate the coconut milk over night or for a few hours at least before you use it to ensure that the fat is solid.  Do NOT use on warm cake!  It has to be completely cooled.  I not, it will melt.  Spread it in the center or a cake, or on top as a light whipped frosting, or use a piping bag to pipe into cupcake.  Take the tip of the piping bag, insert int the center of the top of the cupcake, and pipe about 1 Tbsp into the center of the cupcake.  

Ingredients:
1 can full fat unsweetened coconut milk- ONLY the solid fat on the top of the can
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp arrowroot starch

Directions:
Put your solid coconut milk fat, honey and arrowroot in a large mixing bowl.  Whip on high speed for 2-3 minutes.  Keep refrigerated before you use it.  

Cake Pops

Making these into cake pops is super easy.  Just bake your cake in one large pan (baking time will be longer), or 2 small pans, then crumble the cake into a large bowl.  Add the frosting to the bowl.  Use your hands to mix it up.  

Cake pop covered in TWIX

Roll Tablepsoon sized balls and place on parchment paper.  Put balls in the fridge to harden for about an hour.  Once they've hardened, melt some chocolate, dip the stick in the chocolate to act as glue and then stick it in each pop.  Now you can cover them in chocolate.  The balls are really moist, so sprinkles will stick to them without frosting if you choose not to frost.  You can also try almond butter or shredded coconut as a coating.  Another way to serve them is as cake balls or brownie bites.  You can even serve them in mini muffin papers to look ridiculously cute.