Ever since my husband and I started eating Paleo as part of our nutrition change, being able to have cakes and desserts have been a focus. Who wants to give up cakes? In trying to come up with a recipe that is grain-free, gluten-free AND low-carb, but Actually tastes great, I had to research and experiment for months in order to create this cake that tastes like the real thing, the best chocolate cake I’ve had. There are plenty of paleo treats or grain-free cakes out there. But there’s always something not quite right about them. They taste ok….. but either there’s a little weirdness in the taste or the texture is just a bit off. And you can immediately taste that yep, this is a Paleo cake alright. That simply was not acceptable for me. I think life is too short to be JUST OK with something; to just accept the not quite delicious in order to have a piece of cake.
I set out to come up with a chocolate cake that is rich and decadent, uber chocolaty, a texture that is exactly like what a really good cake should be. Not dry, not crumbly, not eggy, not soggy. This is a chocolate cake that is good enough to make for a party, not just for folks that eat Paleo or low-carb, but for other people. I can’t count how many times I’ve taken this cake to a potluck or had it at my own dinner parties and people had no idea that this was a “healthy” cake until I told them afterwards. It’s so good in fact that it was a huge hit at a gala event that I catered a few years ago. It’s also super versatile; you can make it into so many types of cakes from cupcakes, to round layer cakes, or sheet cakes. Recipe can be expanded for large parties. Be sure to take a look at the pictures below for some of the various cakes that I’ve made.
Ingredients
1/4 cup golden flax meal
1/4 cup plus 1 tbs almond flour
2 tbs buckwheat flour (or cassava flour)
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
3 tbs xylitol (or other zero carb sweetener)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup almond milk
2 tbs coconut oil (melted)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, add the almond milk and vanilla extract and mix well. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix. Add the melted oil and mix well. Scoop batter into either 8 cupcake papers placed in a muffin tin or pour batter into a parchment lined 9 x 9 square baking pan or 9-inch round baking pan. Bake for approximately 17 to 18 minutes for cupcakes or 19 to 20 minutes for cake. Transfer to cooling rack and let sit for at least an hour before serving or frosting.
Flavoring options, additions and combinations
You can add any of these or combination of these to the dry ingredients before adding the liquids.
- add 1 tsp ground ginger for a spicy kick
- add 3 tsp instant coffee or espresso granules for an espresso flavor cake like the ones at a French pastry shop
- add nuts (chopped macadamia, pecans, walnuts, almonds)
- add dried fruits (chopped apricots, raisins, dried cranberries, chopped crystallized candies ginger)
- add other extracts or liqueurs such as almond or orange extract, Amoretto liqueur or Grand Marnier to the wet ingredients before adding to dry ingredients
Mini Layer Cakes for Valentine’s Day
Cupcakes Plain and Frosted
Sheet Cakes for a Big Event
