Paleo Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the cakes
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons (88 g) coconut flour
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (90 g) tapioca starch/flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder (grain-free for very strict Paleo)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (60 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed is best, but natural is fine)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (70 g) virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (210 g) honey
4 eggs (200 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
2/3 cup (5 1/3 fluid ounces) brewed strong coffee or unsweetened nondairy milk (or a combination)
For the frosting
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped fine
8 ounces coconut cream
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch round metal baking pans, and set them aside. The pans should be light in color, so the cakes don’t bake too quickly.
In a large bowl, place the coconut flour, tapioca starch/flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder, and whisk to combine well. Add the oil, honey, eggs, and coffee and/or milk, and whisk until very smooth. The batter will be thickly pourable, and shouldn’t have any lumps. Divide the mixture evenly among the two prepared baking pans, tilting each pan to create an even layer of batter in it. Bang the bottom of each pan flat on the counter a few times to break any air bubbles.
Place the pans in the preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pans in the oven and continue to bake for about another 7 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently in the center. Do not overbake. Remove the cakes from the oven and place them, still in the pans, on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from their pans, place them directly on the wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a wide, flat, medium-sized and heat-safe bowl, place the chopped dark chocolate. Bring the coconut cream to a very gently simmer either in a pan over a low flame on the stovetop, or in the microwave in a heat-safe bowl. Pour the lightly simmering cream over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes before whisking until completely smooth. You can use the mixture to glaze the cakes as is, or allow it to set, then whip and use as frosting. To use the mixture as frosting, allow it sit until no longer warm to the touch, and then place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until beginning to set. Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the frosting until lighter in color and relatively fluffy (about 3 minutes). Frost the cakes as desired, and then slice and serve.
Cake recipe adapted from The Loopy Whisk. Great recipe, Kat!