I have a handful of friends who follow very strict dietary/lifestyle plans. One of them, Carmen, is strictly Paleo. I made her this cake for her birthday, and it's a recipe worth holding on to. I still prefer my gluten, sugar, and dairy, but if you're going to go without, this is a pretty yummy way to do it.
PALEO CHOCOLATE CAKE
Makes 2 (8-inch) cake rounds of low height and compact crumb.
10 eggs
⅔ cup coconut oil (melted and cooled so that it’s still liquid but not hot)
1 cup maple syrup
⅓ cup almond milk
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup coconut flour, sifted
½ cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil two 8-inch round cake pans with coconut oil, dust with either arrowroot starch or cocoa powder, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk the mixture until it’s smooth and completely combined.
In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to completely combine.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix to incorporate. The mixture will be lumpy--let it sit for 3 minutes, then mix again until smooth.
Pour the batter into the oiled and lined cake pans.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the pans to cool completely on wire rack.
CHERRY WHIPPED CREAM
4 tablespoons cherry juice
1 tablespoon gelatin
8 ounces frozen dark cherries, thawed
¼ cup boiling water
2 cups coconut cream (NOT coconut milk)
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pour the cherry juice into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the juice and allow it to hydrate.
While the gelatin is hydrating, chop the cherries and set them aside.
Add boiling water to the juice and gelatin and stir to dissolve.
Combine all ingredients except the chopped cherries in a medium bowl and whip until the mixture is light and fluffy (it won’t be stiff like whipped cream).
Fold the chopped cherries into the whipped cream. Transfer the bowl to the fridge and chill until set (overnight or several hours).
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
⅓ cup coconut oil
¼ cup honey
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a double boiler.
Heat over medium until ingredients are melted.
Stir to combine, then remove the bowl from the heat and allow the ganache to set and cool.
