paleo chocolate cake – Nat's Ladle

How about sinking your teeth into a luscious, moist, fudgy, chocolatey cupcake…knowing that it’s paleo and vegan? A cupcake that is so delightful that you wouldn’t in the world believe it’s gluten free let alone grain free let alone paleo and vegan? Could that be something you are interested in? Would you like to try a scrumptious chocolate cupcake with lashings of chocolate cream on top (that is paleo and vegan)? I might have you covered!

These super easy and quick cupcakes (in fact, you can also use the dough for muffins or just regular chocolate cake) are whipped up in a jiffy, and while your non-paleo friends will love the indulgent chocolatey taste (while you know that this comes with virtually zero net carbs), it is the texture that is the real marvel here – moist, fluffy…just like the best cupcake you can imagine. And yes, at the risk that I am repeating myself, these babies are grain free – not only gluten free, but grain free! And they are entirely made of coconut flour, so no almonds or other nuts here (as coconut is not technically a nut).

Coconut flour is sky high in fibre, which means that these cupcakes are extremely satisfying. But do not go overboard, as exactly that fact can lead to bloated tummies if you are sensitive. Next to fibre, these delicacies also boast omega 3 from chia seeds, antioxidants and minerals from raw cocoa, healthy fats from coconut oil, and much more…there is really no need to wait for a special occasion!

Makes 18 cupcakes or 6 muffins

100g coconut flour
50g raw organic cacao
1 heaped tsp. aluminium-free baking soda
generous pinch of Himalayan sea salt
4 tbsp. or 10g stevia
2 tbsp. or 30g coconut sugar
3 egg replacers or “flax eggs” (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp milled flaxseed dissolved in 4 tbsp water)
3 tbsp. chia seeds, soaked in 9 tbsp. filtered water
100g full-fat coconut cream
100g melted virgin unrefined coconut oil
dash of vanilla extract
2 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar
100ml warm water

For the frosting:
tin of full-fat coconut cream, chilled overnight
raw organic cocoa to taste
stevia to taste

Preheat oven to 180°C and prepare a muffin/cupcake tray. Combine coconut flour, cacao, baking soda, sea salt, stevia, and coconut sugar in a medium bowl until combined. Mix eggs, soaked chia seeds, coconut cream, coconut oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water in another bowl and mix on medium speed until homogenous. Add dry to wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on size or after the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the tray and refrigerate. The texture improves in the fridge and they last a long time when stored in the fridge.

Mix the ingredients for the frosting according to your liking and chill until firm enough to pipe onto cupcakes. Sprinkle with hundreds and thousands (optional).

Enjoy!

An almost paleo chocolate cake – you really can have it all!If you like chocolate, you are in for a treat. Let me introduce to you a luscious chocolate cake which is not only whipped up in a jiffy, but makes for a perfect breakfast on the go, dessert or afternoon snack – and, most of all, it is absolutely moreish and -almost- paleo. Yes, this is not a misprint! You can absolutely have your cake and eat it all on a paleo diet, provided you find a high quality, sugar-free or low-sugar dark chocolate (I’d settle for nothing less but Lindt Excellence 90% – it is technically not sugar free, but with 6.7 g of sugar per 100g, is unrivalled among dark chocolates. Plus it just is the best tasting dark chocolate I have ever tasted. You can read up more on dark chocolate here).

This cake has a lovely tang to it, is never too sweet, and keeps your blood sugar nice and stable. Just the right thing to round off a great meal. It lasts a long time in the fridge and is very portable. Yes, I think you’ll really love this one. And if you are like me, you should have all the ingredients ready to go in your pantry – I really hope you always have a few bars of Lindt Excellence 90% in your cupboard! It definitely belongs on the list for essential pantry items…

Besides lovely lovely choccie, this gem packs a few other fit foods, such as raw cocoa, organic butter, cinnamon, eggs, almonds, and honey, so you can indulge a bit knowing you’ll do your body and mind something good.

Makes one loaf

150g organic coconut oil
150g very dark chocolate (at least 85% cocoa), roughly chopped
150g organic rice malt or maple syrup
juice of 2 large or 3 small oranges
2 flax eggs (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp milled flaxseed dissolved in 4 tbsp filtered water)
100g almond meal
45g tapioca starch, sifted
45g potato starch, sifted
30g raw organic cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/5 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 160 °C. Melt butter, chocolate, honey, and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until well combined. Turn off the heat and let stand for about 20 minutes.
Fold in the beaten eggs, almond meal, sifted starches, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking soda and stir batter until smooth.
Grease a loaf pan or line it with baking paper and pour in the batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

This beauty stores best in foil in the fridge for up to two weeks. Although it stays nice and fresh at room temperature, storing it in the fridge will not only result in a nice fudgy texture, but will make the cake also less messy and therefore more lunchbox-friendly.

Enjoy!

Tag: paleo chocolate cake

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