Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake is a love language here on our homestead. There is not a soul that ever passes on a piece of homemade chocolate cake!

We love to have people on the homestead for dinner and I was wanting a recipe that would work well for everyone. Almond Flour was the ingredient of choice and I was seeking for a beautiful easy recipe to make that even my 7yr old daughter could do on her own.

After much trial and error, I think I have it right! I would love for you to give it a try and let me know your thoughts on this elegant gluten free chocolate cake.

INGREDIENTS INFORMATION

My ingredients list is super short and that is what I love most about this cake! Gather extra virgin olive oil, almond flour, unsweetened cacao powder, baking soda, salt, large eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract. You will want each item at room temperature. Normally we use fresh eggs right out of the coop! But if you do not have access to those then take your eggs out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature.

HOW TO MAKE

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease it extra virgin olive oil on sides and on bottom of pan. Set aside.
2. Mix the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. In your Kitchen Aid mixer, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
4. Add the almond flour mixture one-half cup at a time into the wet ingredients mixing at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans equally.
6. Bake at 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let it cool on the counter for 10 minutes. Gently run a butter knife around the edges
   and place the cakes on a wire rack to continue to cool.

TOPPING IDEAS

• Whipped Cream & Fruit: Make a nice homemade batch of whipped cream spreading it
  between the two layers adding fruit in between and an top!
• Powdered Sugar: Top each cake separately with powdered sugar and use them as
  individual one tier cakes.
• Frosting: You can use any flavored frosting for this chocolate cake! The opportunities
  are endless.

STORAGE

I have stored my cake in the fridge for 4 days layered with icing and it still tasted wonderful as long as it stayed in an air tight container. I have found though that this cake will not last long in the house! If you prefer to freeze the cake, I recommend cutting into smaller pieces and freezing each piece individually. To thaw the pieces, leave it out on the counter for 15 minutes and enjoy!

To me, almond flour cakes always taste better fresh and cold but that may just be a personal thing and not necessarily the golden rule.

Recipe: Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil to Grease the Pan
• 2 ½ cups of almond flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Redmond’s Salt
• 8 Large Eggs (room temp)
• 12.5 oz of maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons of vanilla extract

Cake Filling (Homemade Whipped Cream)

• 1 cup cold Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Confectioners’ Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Ganache

• 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Cake Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and
   grease it extra virgin olive oil on sides and on bottom of pan. Set aside.
2. Mix the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. In your Kitchen Aid mixer, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
4. Add the almond flour mixture one-half cup at a time into the wet ingredients mixing
   at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans equally.
6. Bake at 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let it cool on the counter for 10 minutes. Gently run a butter knife around the edges
   and place the cakes on a wire rack to continue to cool.

Whipped Cream Instructions:

1. In a Kitchen-aid mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar and
   vanilla extract at medium-high speed until medium peaks form. (about 3-4 mins)
2. Use immediately to frost your cake or keep in the fridge for 24 hours.

Ganache Instructions:

1. Place 6oz semi-sweet chocolate chips in a medium-sized heatproof bowl and set
   aside.
2. Pour ½ cup heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat over medium/low heat
   just until cream comes to a simmer.
3. Once cream is simmering, remove from heat and pour evenly over chips (do not
   stir). Cover with foil or plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, remove cover and use a whisk to gently whisk chips and cream
   together until completely smooth.

Assembling the Cake:

1. Level the tops of your cakes to make them flat (if needed).
2. Place one cake on top of your cake plate and spread half of the ganache on top
   of the cake.
3. Spoon the whipped cream on top of the ganache until it is completely covered.
4. Layer cut strawberry on top of whipped cream. ( You can also dip the
   strawberries into sugar for a sweeter taste!
5. Place your second cake on top of the strawberries and repeat the above steps.
6. Keep in the fridge until time to serve.

I know, I know, maple syrup is not keto by any means but look here….I would rather have a cake that is half low-sugar than to eat a cake that is drowning in sugar. I don’t think anyone should be judging anyone when it comes to shoving a piece of chocolate cake in their mouth. Mind your own business and enjoy!