This chocolate cake is SO DELICIOUS that my boys and hubby literally say “Mmm, sooo good!” with each and every bite – funny, but absolutely true!
As shown in the photo above, when cherries are in season, I like to finely dice some and sprinkle them across the top of the chocolate cream frosting to make a pretty & tasty garnish. Another delicious option is to sprinkle the top of the frosted cake with some raw cacao bits, or grated dark chocolate. YUM!
This grain-free, protein-packed cake is the perfect healthy treat for celebrating a special occasion, as it’s absolutely scrumptious and full of wonderful nutritious ingredients! What a delicious way to celebrate with family and friends!
As shown above, the final batter should be thick, creamy and whipped in appearance.
A good way to keep eager fingers out of your cake is to use the extra batter to bake-up a half-dozen cupcakes for the kiddos! Or you can use all of the batter to make about two dozen cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup pure honey (I prefer sage honey due to its mild flavor)
- 1 1/3 cup unsweetened organic applesauce (room temperature)
- 10 eggs (room temperature) P.S. This is not a typo it really is 10 eggs!
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups organic coconut flour
- 1 cup fair-trade unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/3 cups whole raw milk (or coconut milk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with coconut oil. (Please note: This recipe produces too much batter for an average 9x13 dish, but that is no problem! In fact, it actually solves a bigger problem – keeping my boys' fingers out of the cake before guests arrive! So I simply line a muffin tin with six paper muffin liners and use the extra cake batter to make a half-dozen cupcakes too! Then I'm able to ward off the pleas for a taste of the cake, by handing over a cupcake instead. Problem solved!)
- In a very large, deep bowl, combine the butter and honey, using an electric mixer. Add the applesauce and mix until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each one in before adding the next. Then beat the batter at high speed for 2-3 minutes. Finally, mix in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients together until well blended. Then, take turns adding the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter, until all ingredients are incorporated. Finally, beat the batter for about 4-5 minutes on high speed. Batter will be thick, creamy and whipped in appearance (see photo below). Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, using a spreader to smooth out the top and evenly distribute the batter. Leave at least 1 1/2 inches of space from top of batter to top of baking dish, so you have room for the frosting after the cake bakes. (Use the extra batter to make 6 cupcakes as described below, be sure to bake them separately.)
- Bake cake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Place baking dish on wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Top with Chocolate Cream Frosting. Enjoy!
- Follow recipe as directed above, but spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for about 22-25 minutes. If using all of the batter, the yield is about 24 cupcakes.
Notes
If you prefer, you can make a layer cake using two 9-inch round cake pans. Reduce bake time to 25-30 minutes.
This recipe was adapted from Tropical Traditions free coconut recipes website.
I love that the idea that you can make the ‘tasting’ cupcakes – not only to pacify the kids (hugely important!) but even creates a chance to experiment with different toppings/frostings without experimenting on a whole cake; especially when making for guests. 😉
Great point, Michelle! Thanks so much for your kind words. I just sent you a FB message too with an idea for making coconut cream whipped topping. Hope this helps! Lots of blessings, Kelly 🙂
I tried making these as cupcakes for my daughters birthday and they were so dense and heavy and didn’t taste good at all, I am trying to make a better birthday cupcake then the ones at the store with all the artificial ingredients, do you have any tips for me on what I might have done wrong? I did double the recipe as I was needing at least 30 cupcakes , so maybe that was part of my problem? I really want to try again and thought maybe you could give me some pointers? Thanks!
Emily
Hi, Emily. Sad to hear this cake didn’t work for you, especially if you used 20 eggs – I know that’s not cheap. I’ve made this numerous times and haven’t had that experience, so if you followed the recipe exactly (ingredients and instructions), then I’m not really sure what the trouble could be, other than sometimes certain brands of coconut flour can vary in their moisture content. So perhaps use a bit more milk depending on how dense the result you got was. I haven’t tried to double the recipe, so perhaps more moisture is needed at that volume? This is a dense cake (rich and thick), but it has a nice moisture and chocolaty-ness to it. Perhaps try my coconut flour brownie cake next time, as that cake is a lot more moist and even more chocolaty in flavor. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Thanks Kelly!
I look forward to trying it again, and after reviewing the recipe again I think i may have not put the correct amount of milk in..oops 🙂 Thanks for the response I am so excited to try again, and have your recipe for pinto crockpot beans cooking for dinner! Blessings to you for sharing all your wisdom with us!!!
Emily
Glad you figured it out! 🙂 Hope you enjoy the pintos! Lots of blessings, Kelly
I’m getting ready to make this and just thought I would comment on the previous comment. Might be helpful in the future. I was always told and have read that in baking, you should never “double” a recipe. Baking is such a science with precise measurements that when you “double” a recipe you throw off the balance. It’s always best to just make 2 batches if you need more than a single recipe calls for. Hope this helps and this cake looks divine.
Yes, you are absolutely right, Margaret. Thank you for taking the time to share this. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the cake! 🙂
I am new to grain free baking. I want to try this recipe but also need a dessert recipe to use for guests this weekend. How far in advance can I bake the recipe and still be fresh for serving? If I bake cupcakes ahead of time will they do well to freeze until I need them? Thanks!
Hi, Jena. You could make this and refrigerate for a day or so, or freeze them, Just be sure to make the icing the day you plan to serve. I personally think coconut flour baked goods taste better after they’ve sat a day. 🙂
Hello…I am wanting to make this, but could I leave out the cocoa powder to just make it a yellow cake? Would I need to substitute anything for it? Thanks
Hi, Monique. Since this was created for a chocolate cake, I would recommend using a recipe specifically developed for a yellow cake as this one may be a bit eggy without the cocoa powder. Here’s a wonderful coconut flour yellow cake recipe from my friend Carrie that you may enjoy. 🙂 Kelly
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/grain-free-gluten-free-coconut-cake-recipe-lemon-curd-strawberries-cream/