Special Guest Post by Kristin at Live Simply
I’ve been an avid reader and fan of The Nourishing Home since Kelly first began writing. Kelly’s grace and practical wisdom for real food and healthy living are always an inspiration. I’m honored to stop by The Nourishing Home today, and share one of my favorite grain-free sweet treats.
[Note from Kelly (blushing): Such kind words from a dear friend! I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Kristin visiting with us! Her beautiful blog –Live Simply– is a true inspiration with her encouraging wisdom, passion for real food, healthy living and meal planning. And speaking of passion – her passion for chocolate is one I’m sure most of us share. So thank you, Kristin, for being too good to us in sharing this decadent treat! Just one bite of this rich chocolate cake and you’ll know what I mean!]
I have a number of passions in life. I believe learning a person’s passion(s) is often the best way to connect and understand what makes them “tick.” My faith in Jesus, my family, and a quest for simplicity are a few of my greatest passions. Add a pinch of: backyard chickens, beets, and chocolate – and you get Kristin, a simple and passionate gal.
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, let’s talk about one of my passions, chocolate.
Four years ago, when our family made the switch to real food, I had an addiction to all things chocolate: candy bars, cake, pastries, and cookies, anything with the slightest hint of chocolate taste. All my favorite treats were highly processed and so they had to go.
A few months after purging our house of everything processed and feeling a bit discouraged, I discovered the beauty of real food. When applied with grace, this real food lifestyle can be incredibly liberating, inspiring, and out-of-this world delicious. I soon realized real food was about more than just kale and spinach. Real food also includes decadent chocolate in moderation. Hallelujah!
I happily stock a share of good quality chocolate in my real food pantry. My stockpile no longer consists of chocolate bars and processed cookies, but instead two simple ingredients: unsweetened cocoa and minimally processed chocolate chips. With real chocolate ingredients, the possibilities for making homemade treats are endless. A few of my favorites include: raw brownie bites and “the best ever” brownie. Yummy real food treats our family enjoys creating together and sharing.
And so, with Mother’s Day almost here and my passion for chocolate, I created a decadent real food chocolate cake to share with you. This cake is made with two of my favorite baking ingredients – blanched almond flour and coconut flour. These simple grain-free flours create perfectly moist muffins, bread, and cake. They also add nutritional benefits, such as protein and healthy fat.
This grain-free chocolate cake is delightfully sweetened with honey and melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. Topped with a simple homemade fudge icing, and if desired a scoop (or two) of homemade vanilla bean ice cream. A rich chocolate dessert that says, “Mom, I love you,” in one little bite.
Passion can be incredibly delicious and rewarding, so let’s not delay another minute. Break out the bowls, whisk, butter, and chocolate – we have a cake to make, just in time for Mom’s big day.
Ingredients
- 1 cup allergy-friendly chocolate chips
- 1 cup butter (or 1/2 cup palm shortening, plus 1/2 cup coconut oil)
- 1 cup honey
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (*see recipe note below)
- 1/2 cup allergy-friendly chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 TB honey
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease a 9-inch spring-form pan with a little coconut oil. Or lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish to make my special happy-happy ice cream cake.
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate chips. As the ingredients melt, stir frequently. Once melted, remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to slightly cool.
- While the chocolate cools, whisk together the almond and coconut flours, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand-mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (this can also be done with lots of muscle, a bowl, and whisk, or an electric hand mixer), whisk together the honey and eggs for 1 minute on medium speed. Add in the vanilla, whisk for 1 minute.
- Add the flour to the honey mixture and whisk for 1 minute. Slowly add the melted chocolate, with the mixer on medium speed. Whisk for 2 minutes, until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch spring-form pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. (If using a 9x13-inch baking dish, bake the cake approximately 45-55 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.)
- In a saucepan, melt the chocolate chips and coconut cream (*see recipe note below), stirring frequently.
- Bring the chocolate mixture to a simmer, and then add the honey. Simmer the ingredients together for 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla extract and arrowroot powder, whisk for a minute. The icing will begin to thicken. Remove from the heat and cool.
- Once the cake has cooled, remove from the spring-form pan. Spread the icing evenly over the cake. Enjoy!
Notes
* What is Coconut Cream? Coconut cream refers to the cream that rises and solidifies in a can of pure coconut milk. To obtain coconut cream, simply place a can of unsweetened pure coconut milk into the fridge for at least 10-12 hours. By chilling the can of coconut milk, the coconut cream will rise to the top of the can and become solid. You can then measure out 1/2 cup of coconut cream for this recipe. Reserve the remainder for another use.
Please be sure to visit Kristin at Live Simply and thank her for sharing this wonderful recipe with us! It truly is the BEST chocolate cake. EVER!
Kristin is a stay-at-home mom of two children, Piper (4) and Londyn (2). She loves to share her real food tips, ideas, and recipes for feeding the entire family nourishing whole foods. She is passionate about encouraging moms on this journey of simple, natural living and traditional, real food. Kristin is a professional blogger and the creator of Live Simply.
