The Best Grain-free Chocolate Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free)

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THE BEST GRAIN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE

This recipe is 100% refined sugar-free, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free – and it’s made with only unprocessed and unrefined ingredients.

This is the ultimate chocolate cake recipe. In fact, it might be the best in the world. I’m not joking – I actually take this business of perfecting chocolate cake very seriously (aka: this is the only chocolate cake recipe you will ever need).

It’s totally healthy, it’s pure rich chocolate, it’s moist-yet-firm – and it’s layered with creamy chocolate frosting, healthy sweet “caramel”, more delicious chocolate cake and more chocolate frosting.

♥

Proceed with caution: this is the most amazing chocolate cake recipe in the world and although its 100% healthy, it’s also extremely addictive. You’ve been warned.

THE HEALTHY CAKE BOSS

This chocolate cake not only tastes like chocolate heaven on earth… it’s also healthy, nutritious and well balanced. This recipe contains healthy essential fats, healthy protein and good unprocessed carbs.

Healthy food can taste amazing (better than unhealthy food) and it can be totally fun to eat! Let’s make healthy food fun!

It was my birthday this week and so I had to celebrate by making the ultimate healthy layered chocolate cake!

I’ll freely admit it – I’ve always been a chocolate cake snob. There are very few chocolate cakes that can tempt me enough to eat a forkful… and when I do take a bite, I’m usually bitterly disappointed with the taste and texture of the cake.

Making a great chocolate cake is all about finding the right balance with flavour, sweetness, texture, moistness and firmness – and it has to be complemented with great frosting!

It’s been a dream of mine for the last few years to create the most amazing chocolate cake recipe and so I’m thrilled to have finally done it! Happy birthday to me!

THE CAKE CHECKLIST

The perfect chocolate cake has to pass this checklist:

The perfect healthy cake has to be…

-100% healthy (sugar, gluten and dairy-free)
-rich and decadent
-perfectly moist yet firm
-full of pure chocolatey flavour
-have more than one cake layer
-be filled with the perfect chocolate frosting
-have a caramel layer in the middle (yum!)
-be topped with fresh berries (extra yum!)
-so delicious that I want to eat the entire cake

…and it has to have just the right amount of sweetness (not too sweet… just the right amount of sweet)

THE RECIPE

Ingredients (chocolate cake):

-1 cup almond flour (ground almonds)
-1 cup coconut flour
-2 cups sweet potato (cooked and mashed)
-1 cup cold-pressed coconut oil (melted)
-1 + 1/2 cups cacao powder
-6 free ranged eggs (separated)
-1 cup + 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
-4 teaspoons ground vanilla powder/ pure vanilla extract
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-pinch sea salt

(makes 2 cake layers/ simply halve quantities to make 1 layer)

Ingredients (chocolate frosting):

-2 ripe avocado’s
-2 tablespoons unsweetened nut butter (almond, cashew or macadamia)
-1/2 cup cacao powder
-10 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
-2 tablespoons cold-pressed coconut oil (melted)
-2 teaspoons ground vanilla powder/ pure vanilla extract
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-pinch sea salt

(if you make a 1 layered cake instead of 2 layers, simply halve the quantities of the chocolate frosting)

Ingredients (caramel layer):

-2/3 cup unsweetened nut butter (almond, cashew or macadamia)
-4 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
-2 tablespoons cold-pressed coconut oil (melted)
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 teaspoon ground vanilla powder/ pure vanilla extract
-pinch sea salt

Suggested toppings:

-a sprinkle of cacao powder
-fresh blueberries
-fresh raspberries

THE METHOD

Instructions (chocolate cake):

-preheat your oven to 180 degree’s Celsius (360 F)
-roast the sweet potatoes by wrapping them in aliminium foil and baking them in the oven for 30 to 60 minutes (or until really soft and starting to caramelize) at 180 degree’s Celsius (360 F)
-once fully roasted, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and the foil (when cool enough to handle)
-after leaving them to cool for a few minutes, remove the skin by gently peeling it off
-mash the roasted sweet potato with the back of a fork until completely smooth and measure out 2 full cups (discard any excess)
-melt the coconut oil by pouring boiling water into a large bowl and a placing smaller bowl into the water (without burning your hands or getting water into the small bowl), then place the coconut oil into the small bowl and wait for it to melt
-separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and beat the egg whites with an electric beater until firm (keep aside)
-mix the egg yolks, mashed sweet potato, melted coconut oil, almond flour, coconut flour, cacao powder, pure maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt together in a bowl until smooth and well blended
-gently fold the egg whites into the mixture but do not mix
-pour the mixture into 2 cake pans greased with additional coconut oil (please note that the cake will not rise in the oven)
-even out and smooth the top of the batter with the back of a spoon
-place the filled cake pans into the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes
-you will know that the cake is ready when you can pierce it with a sharp knife and it comes out clean
-once cooked, remove cakes from the oven, remove from cake pans and leave to cool

Instructions (chocolate frosting):

-peel & pit the avocado and smash with the back of a fork
-melt the coconut oil by pouring boiling water into a large bowl and a placing smaller bowl into the water (without burning your hands or getting water into the small bowl), then place the coconut oil into the small bowl and wait for it to melt
-mix the avocado, melted coconut oil, nut butter, cacao powder, pure maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt together with an electric beater, a whisk or in a high-powered blender until smooth (no lumps)

Instructions (caramel layer):

-melt the coconut oil by pouring boiling water into a large bowl and a placing smaller bowl into the water (without burning your hands or getting water into the small bowl), then place the coconut oil into the small bowl and wait for it to melt
-mix the nut butter, melted coconut oil, pure maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt together in a bowl until smooth and well blended

HOW TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

How to put the cake, frosting and caramel together:

-once the cakes have cooled, put one cake aside and spread the caramel on top of the other cake (using a butter knife or the back of a spoon to spread it evenly)
-ice the top of the other cake with chocolate frosting, using the back of a tablespoon to spread it out evenly (use only half of the chocolate frosting and keep the other half of the frosting aside)
-using the cake spread with caramel as the base layer (caramel side up), carefully turn the cake frosted with chocolate icing upside down and place it on top of the base layer (so that the caramel layer and the chocolate frosting are touching)
-now use the other half of the chocolate frosting to ice the top of the top cake layer, using the back of a tablespoon to spread it out evenly
-sprinkle the top of the cake with cacao powder (optional – but it looks pretty)
-garnish the cake with fresh blueberries and fresh raspberries optional – but it adds a gorgeous pop of color and extra delicious flavour)
-admire your chocolate creation (and snap a quick picture – why not!)
-slice, serve, share, eat & enjoy!
-store in the fridge in an airtight container to keep extra fresh for longer

Made with love by Liezl Jayne xo

Total preparation time: 60 to 120 minutes
Total bake time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 to 14 (or 1 – I won’t judge)

Photos by Liezl Jayne Strydom for liezljayne.com