Unlike those with Celiac Disease, I do not need to completely avoid gluten in my diet. But I own lots of gluten-free cookbooks because many of them are also sugar free. And frankly, I feel better when I'm eating less gluten. This chocolate cake is absolutely fab. It's moist, rich, and has a texture just like "regular" cake. It comes from Kelly V. Brozyna, a blogger and cookbook author who lives in Boulder. I couldn't resist buying her first cookbook because of its title: The Spunky Coconut. Kelly's recipes are gluten, casein, and sugar free. Her second cookbook, The Spunky Coconut Grain-Free Baked Goods & Desserts was just published. This cake comes from her first cookbook and it's a regular at our house. Everyone loves it, and it makes me happy that we can enjoy something so delicious and not feel guilty about it. The frosting in the picture comes from Kelly's blog. It's a vegan frosting and quite delicious. I'm amazed that she was able to come up with a frosting that has no butter or powdered sugar in it, but still tastes great and has the same texture we all know and love. Feel free to frost the cake with whatever frosting you like though.
3/4 cup coconut oil, liquified (see notes below)
1/2 cup organic cocoa powder
3/4 cup agave
6 room temperature eggs (cold eggs will harden the oil)
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp Chocolate liquid stevia (see notes below)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
Beat the coconut oil and cocoa powder with an electric mixer. Add all the rest of the ingredients and beat again. Pour into greased and floured round cake pans, a bundt pan or a springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 34 minutes (don't overbake).
Date Frosting (vegan)
1 1/2 cups dates (soaked overnight if dry)
3/4 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp tapioca flour
1/3 cup coconut oil, liquified
3/4 cup cocoa powder
Put the dates and cashews in a Vita Mix, Blendtec, or flood processor. Begin to puree. While pureeing, gradually add the coconut milk. Puree until creamy and smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until creamy and smooth. Freeze for about half an hour or put in the fridge until cool and of a good spreading consistency. This makes a lot! I usually use half on one cake, and keep the rest in the fridge to frost a second one.
Notes:
Coconut Oil: This is the first recipe I've posted that uses coconut oil. This is a healthy oil with some great benefits. I quote from Bruce Fife, author of the Cooking with Coconut Flour cookbook: "Coconut oil is unique. It is composed of a special group of fat molecules known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are digested and metabolized differently from other fats. Insead of being packed away into fat cells, MCTs are used to produce energy. This boost in energy production stimulates metabolism...So after eating a meal containing coconut oil, your level of energy is higher, your metabolism is running at an elevated level, and you burn calories at an accelerated rate. Since more calories are burned up to produce energy, fewer calories remain to be converted into body fat. Adding coconut oil to your food actually reduces the effective amount of calories in the food...As long as you don't overeat, coconut oil can help you lose excess pounds. Coconut oil also helps regulate blood sugar and prevent insulin resistance." Pretty great, right?! You can buy either unrefined or refined coconut oil. Unrefined is not processed at high temperatures, but it does have a distinct coconut taste. I prefer to use the refined, which doesn't taste like coconuts at all. Now don't be confused; when you buy coconut oil, it won't look like regular oil. In the jar it's a white, solid substance (although if you keep your jar in a hot place, it will liquify). When using coconut oil in recipes, you need to melt it first (use a really low heat on your stove--it won't take long) and THEN measure it. You can get coconut oil in most grocery stores and online. Lately I've been buying the expeller pressed organic coconut oil made by Spectrum. I buy it at Vitamin Cottage. Be aware that coconut oil is more expensive than other oils. Just remember that you're paying for something that's much better for you than butter and other oils. See my next note, which will help you use less coconut oil in this cake recipe (and therefore save you a bit of money).
Applesauce: In Kelly's new cookbook, she's used applesauce to replace some of the coconut oil in her recipes. Love that idea! You use less of the expensive oil and also cut down significantly on the fat in the recipe. I made this cake this week and instead of using the 3/4 cup of coconut oil, I used 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 cup coconut oil. I couldn't tell the difference!
Stevia: Stevia is a sweetener that is very, very low on the glycemic index. Another advantage it has over sweeteners like honey and agave is that it doesn't have any calories. Sounds perfect, right? Stevia comes in both powdered and liquid forms. This recipe uses a liquid form which has been flavored. It's made by a company called SweetLeaf. You can buy it at health food stores, or order it online if they don't stock the chocolate flavor. Kelly's original recipe actually calls for Chocolate Raspberry liquid stevia, but since I didn't have any of that I just used chocolate.
Xanthan Gum: This adds a gluten-like texture to recipes. It's a white powder and Bob's Red Mill is one brand you can buy.
No comments:
Post a Comment