Mint Chocolate Cake

What I made for St. Patrick's day:

Leprechaun-friendly.  Will trade for pot of gold.

MmmMmm. I made 4 mini cakelets.

THE RECIPE:

Flourless Chocolate Cake:

4 ounces fine bittersweet chocolate -- I used a little under 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, plus ~ 4 tbs coconut sugar
1/2 cup ghee (or other butter substitute)
3/4 cup coconut sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt

---> Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 inch round springform pan, or four 4-inch springform pans.  Line bottom of pan with a round of parchment paper, and grease the paper.
Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a microwave safe bowl, Melt the chocolate over low heat, and stir in butter substitute until they are melted together.
Add cocoa, then whip in eggs, vanilla, and salt.
Pour the batter into cake pan(s).
Bake for ~25 minutes.  Let cool in springform pan.

Mint Frosting:
1 can full-fat coconut milk, chilled. --> scoop the thick coconut fat off the top of the can, after it has chilled. leave the watery stuff behind.
mint extract, to taste (i used ~1/8 tsp)
green food coloring (I usually don't use food coloring.... but i couldn't resist!!)
Add powdered xylitol and erythritol in 1:1 amounts until desired consistency
     Note: to make powdered xylitol/erythritol, add the granulated form to a magic bullet, with a dash of tapioca starch or potato starch.  The starch will help it to 'powder' easily. Bullet until powdered.

Topping:
Shaved mint chocolate bar.
    I used Endangered Species Chocolate, Mint Chocolate and shaved off curls using a vegetable peeler.

Assembly:
After cake has cooled in springform pan, pour frosting on top of cake. Chill until frosting is firm.  Then add chocolate shavings on top of frosting.  Garnish with mint leaves if desired.

To serve, gently remove sides of springform pan, then transfer cake onto serving platter.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

My birthday was a couple weeks ago, and I made myself a cake.

Back in the day, when I wanted to make something truly decadent, I used to look up recipes on the Godiva chocolate website (they have a great gourmet recipe selection). Birthday desserts, boyfriend desserts- Godiva had me covered for all of 'em. So, I decided to take on the challenge of adapting a truly decadent chocolate cake recipe.

Also influencing my inspiration- around this time for the past 4 years was Lawnparties at my eating club in Princeton. This involved an enormous brunch with just about every type of gourmet cake / tart imaginable... and thus resulted in a total deterioration of my diet, for at least a couple days. Obviously I had to make a substitute for that experience, too.

So, I present, the best cake EVER, and of course, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free.
I also submitted this recipe for the Daily Dietribe's Gluten-Free Birthday Cake Challege (awesome).

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a round (~9 inch?) springform pan.

LAYER 1: Dense Chocolate Cake

¾ c ghee/coconut oil mix
1 c coconut sugar
¼ c light agave          ---> heat on stove until melted and well-mixed; whisk together/stir continuously. Let cool slightly.

2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla    ---> after wet ingredients cool slightly, whisk in eggs and vanilla

2/3 c flour combination: oat, all-purpose GF, brown rice, millet, tapioca

¼ tsp guar gum

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ c cocoa powder    ---> combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then add them to the wet ingredients. Mix well. 

Pour batter into springform pan, and bake ~30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in springform pan.

 

LAYER 2: Raspberry Layer

2 c rapsberries
1 tsp powdered chia seeds
½ truvia packet
Stevia dusting       ---> combine all ingredients. I used about half frozen raspberries and half fresh raspberries.

LAYER 3: Chocolate Truffle Ganache Layer

1 c canned coconut milk (the more thick/fatty, the better)
10 oz Sunspire chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla                           ---> heat coconut milk until hot. Pour over chocolate chips, add vanilla, stir until all chips are melted/smooth consistency is obtained. Let cool slightly.

ASSEMBLY:

After cake layer has cooled, (leaving it in spring form pan) spread a thin layer of truffle layer on top (so that raspberry layer won't make cake soggy). Next, spread on raspberry layer. Finally, top with truffle/ganache layer. Place in fridge to chill.

Before serving, remove sides of spring form pan.
Keep chilled before/after serving, or top layer will "sweat."

Hope you enjoy this delicious treat! Everyone's response to it was "I love how buttery the cake tastes!" And I said, "well, there's no butter in it!" Oh, the magic of quality ACD baking! :)












~~~~~~~~

In other news, I just went to my 1st Princeton Reunion! I'm proud to report that ate and drank (aka, didn't drink) well all weekend. Hooray for good life choices!!

Saturday fireworks show-- Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!!

View of the 5th reunion dancefloor from the Grass Knoll, c. 1am Friday Night.

World's Best Carrot Cake

 Featured in cupcake / muffin form:

THE RECIPE:

(for 15 cupcakes -- for more, recipe can easily be doubled)

1/2 c coconut flour
1/4 c millet flour
1/4 c all purpose GF flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger                    ---> combine dry ingredients in small bowl, set aside


1/2 lb grated carrots
4 oz crushed pinapple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 c shredded coconut
1/4 c raisins                     ---> combine, set aside


1/2 c coconut sugar
1/2 c light agave nectar
1 crack spoon powdered stevia
3 eggs
1 tsp apple cider vinegar + 1/2 c almond milk (= buttermylk)

3/8 c extra light olive oil
1 tsp vanilla                      ---> combine in mixing bowl; gradually add in wet and dry ingredients

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for ~30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Easter Treats, Part I: Bunny Cake and Bebe Eggs

Bunny Cake!

Starry approves.

Easter Special- for the Spunky Coconut Easter round-up. Stay tuned for more as Easter draws nearer!

The traditional bunny cake made gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free. To make it look a little more authentic (aka furry), press shredded (unsweetened) coconut onto the frosted bunny.

I made this from a modified vanilla-bean cake- and marbled together the traditional yellow batter with a lavender batter dyed from pureed blackberries.

THE RECIPE:

2 cups cooked and drained white beans  ---> puree in high power blender (Vitamix)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
~2 tiny-stevia-spoon-scoops powdered stevia
1 tbs agave
5 egg yolks -----> add, puree well

1/4 c flour blend: (millet + garbanzo + tapioca + oat) OR coconut flour (I ran out!!)
2 tsp baking powder----> mix all dry ingredients well, then add to wet and puree again


**pour half of batter into a separate bowl. Then, add ~1/4 c blackberries to dye remainder lavender/purple.


Beat the remaining 5 egg whites until still peaks form (add cream of tartar to help maintain them). Divide egg foam into two bowls; fold one batter color into each of them.


Grease one 8-inch circular cake pan, then like bottom with waxed paper, and grease it.

Start with the color of batter that you have more of: pour a thin layer into the bottom of the pan. Then dollop large blobs of the minority color on top. Use a butter knife to swirl the colors together. Repeat layering, dolloping, and swirling until all batter is used up. Be careful not to overfill pan (leave some room for rising)- if you have extra, make a few cupcakes.


Bake for ~30 minutes at 350 C.



Preparing Bunny shape:


1. Remove cake from pan (pull of wax paper from bottom) and cut in half. Frost flat, under-side of both halves.

2. Stand up two half-circles next to each other, letting the two frosting sides stick together.

3. Cut a wedge out of the top-front to separate bunny's face and body.

4. Frost!



FROSTING:

1/2 c powdered erythritol*
2 tbs ghee, sort
2 tbs coconut oil, soft
1 tbs arrowroot powder (to add volume and cut sweetness- add more/leave out as desired)
2 strawberries, pureed almond milk (add slowly to make it the right consistency)
2 tbs powdered coconut (or flaked, or coconut flour if desired)

* Make your own powdered erythritol! Put ~1/2 c granular erythritol into the Magic Bullet small cup, and pulse for about 20 seconds with the crossblade. BAM-- powder!

To make frosting, blend all ingredients in the magic bullet.

Enjoy your bunny! Give it a face with grain-sweetened chocolate chip eyes, and a strawberry-tip nose. Whiskers can be toothpicks (if you're lazy like me), or carrot/zucchini spliters to be a bit more creative. My ears were pink index cards cut-to-shape... maybe you can come up with something better (edible) for those too!






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Feature #2: BEBE EGGS



Easter is great. Dying easter eggs is also great. Unfortunately, having 1000000 leftover hard-boiled eggs is not great. Here, I present my family's traditional solution to this epic dilemma.

(Bebe eggs? (almost "Baby" eggs). Why are they called that? I have no idea. They just are!)

Mmm, bebe eggs hot in the pan!

 Basically, Bebe eggs are mashed up, sauteed/re-fried hard boiled eggs. Also makes great fun to make these easter morning! On my childhood easter mornings, we made a tradition of playing catch with each egg- waiting until we dropped it to break it and add it to the pot (and eventually just more-or-less pegging them at each other...).

THE RECIPE:

Lots of hard-boiled eggs! ---> mash with a potato-masher (or a fork- but it will take you way longer)
Ghee
Salt
Pepper
*optional: for more savory eggs, add a bit of onion powder/garlic powder

Melt some ghee on a skillet over medium heat-- add eggs and seasonings. Cook until just-browned, stirring frequently.

Eat em all up for Easter breakfast!

~~

Stay tuned for more easter treats to come: OUTSIDE COOKIES, RAINBOW TRUFFLES, and ORANGE BREAKFAST ROLLS (Pillsbury style!).

"Little Debbie" Be My Valentine Snack Cakes: Sugar-Free. Gluten-Free. Dairy-Free.

Little Debbie snack cakes.....  I had forgotten about these little devils! And then someone brought a box to work.

And, suddenly I was flooded with memories of mind-blowing sweetness! Litte Debbie Vanilla Be My Valentine Snack Cakes... even when I last ate these circa age 6, I could tell that these were far too sweet and artificial to really even be considered food.

And, of course, I knew I needed to whip up some of my own.

Out of curiosity, I checked the ingredients on the real things before I started. Do you really want to see it? Probably not if you are planning to eat one of these in the near future. Or, you can do what I did: read the ingredients and then run to make the ACD healthier version!

Little Debbie "Be My Valentine" Cakes: Vanilla --- the real deal:

INGREDIENTS (for diabetes):

Sugar, Vegetable(s) Shortening (,, Soybean(s) Oil Partially Hydrogenated, Cottonseed Oil Partially Hydrogenated ),, Corn Syrup, Water, Flour Enriched Bleached (,, Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron Reduced, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid (Vitamin aB) ),, Dextrose, Egg(s) Whites, Color(s) (,, Caramel Color, Red 40 ),, Whey from Milk, Leavening (,, Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate ),, Salt, Emulsifier(s) (,, Sorbitan Monostearate, Polysorbate 60, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Propylene Glycol Monostearate ),, Corn Starch, Sorbic Acid To Retain Freshness,, Egg(s), Soy Lecithin, Flavor(s) Natural & Artificial

 I bolded the ingredients that I deem acceptable on my diet. Water, egg whites, and baking soda-- now that's a tasty combination (blergh!!) Also note that foodfacts.com (from which I got this list) gives them a health score of 32/100, and marks it with "AVOID" and "CONTROVERSIAL INGREDIENTS." Yep, I thought so.

Now let's take a look at what my packaging label might look like:

INGREDIENTS (for awesomness):

White beans, eggs, coconut oil, agave nectar, erythritol, coconut flour, strawberries, ghee, tapioca flour, almond milk, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, lemon juice, liquid stevia, salt, liquid chocolate raspberry stevia

 Looks a whole lot prettier, huh? Shorter, more natural, more healthy. 

THE RECIPE:

1 cup white beans  ---> puree in high power blender (Vitamix)
1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
24 drops stevia
2 1/2 tbs agave -----> add, puree well
3 eggs***

1 1/2 tbs coconut flour
1 tbs tapioca flour
1/8 tsp sea salt
3/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda  ----> mix all dry ingredients well, then add to wet and puree again

*** There are two ways to do this to vary cake consistency. For a dense (pound cake-y) cake, blend eggs with wet ingredients. For a lighter, fluffier cake, separate egg yolks and whites. Add yolks to wet mixture, but beat eggs separately in a bowl, until stiff peaks form. After adding dry ingredients to the wet mix in the Vitamix, fold the batter into the egg whites. This will also yield a higher volume of batter, which will end up making more mini cakes.

I used heart shaped silicone cupcake molds to make these. Fill each one halfway, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the largest one comes out clean.

WHITE FROSTING:

1/2 c powdered erythritol* or, soy milk powder to desired consistency, plus extra stevia to sweeten
1 tbs ghee, sort
1 tbs coconut oil, soft
1/2 tsp vanilla (will slightly brown the color)
1 tbs almond milk (add slowly to make it the right consistency)

* Make your own powdered erythritol! Put ~1/2 c granular erythritol into the Magic Bullet small cup, and pulse for about 20 seconds with the crossblade. BAM-- powder!

To make frosting, blend all ingredients in the magic bullet. Add almond milk as necessary to make it a nice whipped consistency.

PINK FROSTING:

1/4 c coconut oil
1 tbs agave
1 tbs strawberry puree (I magic bullet-ed this first)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
dash of salt
8 drops chocolate raspberry stevia
1 tsp powdered erythritol (optional-- thickens consistency)

Blend all ingredients in the Magic Bullet. This should be a thin consistency which will harden in the fridge.

ASSEMBLY:

Middle frosting layer.

Slice a heart mini-cake in half, and spread white frosting between the two layers- then re-assemble them. Next, coat all visible sides of cake in pink frosting. Finally, pipe white frosting on top in a spider-webby pattern. (I was lazy and used a ziploc bag with a tiny hole cut in one corner, instead of a real piping tip.)

Result? Something delicious, and just about as (sickeningly) sweet as the real deal. But, it's low GI, (sucrose) sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, aaand pretty much awesome!!

Now, I'm not saying that I should (or could) eat these every day (there's a reason I only made six!) But, they certainly are perfect for a rare (non)sugar fix.  Happy (belated) Valentine's Day!

~~

Also-- what's the deal with hating Valentine's Day? It's an excuse to eat chocolate and celebrate love of any sort- whether it's for yourself, a lover, a pet-- who cares? Just enjoy the day!

~~

Also: check out February's SOS Challenge at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs, with challenge ingredient stevia!

I got off to a rocky start with stevia, back in the day. When I started exploring the world of ACD baking, the only stevia we had around the house was a powdered form left from my mother's dabbling in vegetarian healthfood... which was probably in the 60s. Or 70s. Or sometime when they made pretty poor quality stevia, SLASH it had just gone bad by this current millenium. At any rate, everything we baked using that stuff had a sickening taste... soapy, if you will. Not quite to the "bitter" realm, but just all too "stevia-ish". I could taste a grain of that stuff anywhere... in anything. It haunted me. And ruined many a baked good.

I avoided all baked goods cooked with stevia, subbing in anything from vegetable glycerine, to agave nectar (when I got to the point I could handle it). But as I did my research, I raid many accounts claiming that with the right quality stevia, the disgusting taste problem really wasn't a problem at all.

So, I decided to give stevia another shot. I would buy a new batch. This time, I opted for the liquid form, and purchased a bottle of SweetLeaf SteviaClear (from good old vitacost.com). And it worked wonders! Gone were the days of ruined baked goods.

Stevia still can be a finicky sweetener when used carelessly, and certainly isn't for those with a heavy hand when it comes to measuring. Basically, its sweetening curve looks something like this:

 

Yeah-- tough. But as long as care is taken while sweetening, stevia can work wonders. I especially like it to sweeten beverages-- like when making chocolate almond milk!

So, in summary, I am a stevia convert. I still use it primarily in conjunction with other stronger sweeteners, but stevia does have its place in my baking arsenal. 

And who knows? I just might grow it in my garden this year. 

Pumpkin Sandwich Cake

It's October, thus I am in Halloween mood.

Yep, that's delicious. Two-layer pumpkin cake, with sugar-glaze filling and chocolate frosting. (Tastes like real food!)

THE RECIPE:

 Cake:

3 eggs
15 drops stevia
4 tbs agave            [cream]
¾ c pumpkin            [add]
3/4 c flour: garbanzo+millet+tapioca+brown rice
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp guar gum

Bake in two 8 ½ inch round pans at 350 for ~15 mins (until toothpick comes out clean).
Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool on cooling racks.

Middle filling “white” frosting: (agave-sugar glaze)

¾ c cocnut oil, softened
¾ c light agave [makes it REALLY sweet!! beware!]
5 tbs potato starch
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs coconut flour?
¼ tsp guar gum

Mix, chill.

Chocolate outside frosting:

1/3 carob powder
14.4 tbs / 3.8 tbs oil

12 drops stevia
1 tsp agave (/to taste)

(same as Vanilla Bean cake frosting recipe)

Assembly:

Spread white glaze frosting on top of bottom layer of cake.

Place next layer on top. Cover with chocolate frosting.

If you're feeling creative, use potato starch (or tapioca flour) to stencil on a spooooky message (aka: boo.) It's not too hard- I chopped out the letters from a rando scrap of paper and it worked jussst fine.

Also: MOLD WARNING! Refrigerate pronto to avoid this moist-baked-good disaster. Invisible rancidity is all too common with ACD baking, and this moist, gooey cake is a prime candidate. I foolishly let this cake sit out, and by day three I had to amputate 75% of the cake to save the outer (dryer) perimeter!


 Anyway, this cake is delicious, so bake it.




Also, it took me over 3 hours to invent the middle frosting layer. White frosting is maybe the HARDEST thing EVER to ACD make without (a) sugar, (b) dairy, (c) soymilk powder, or (d) chia seeds. Seriously. Oh, or (e) using the ol' whipped coconut milk trick. My first attempt turned into tortillas. Really. Shockingly pliable tortillas, too! So, if you ever want to make super foldable pita/tortilla items, use a tonnn of tapioca flour. Hooray for eating my mistakes!

Celebration Cake

Guru Purnima (which was July 25, I'm posting late!) falls on the day of the first full moon of summer, and is traditionally a day to give thanks to one's spiritual leader. It is a day full of cosmic energy, and of course, awesomeness.

Also it warranted the making of a full-fledged CAKE.
Thanks to The Spunky Coconut for the basic recipe & inspiration!

O. M. G.      ...........that's right, drool away.

THE RECIPE:

Add to your handy-dandy food processor*:
2 cups cooked white beans**, room temperature
6 eggs
17 drops liquid stevia***
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup agave

Puree!

* I use my friend VITACOST THE VITAMIX... aka my mom's retro vitamix that I tend to get confused and call vitacost.
** I cooked my own, but you could also use unsalted canned beans, rinsed and drained. To boil your own, either soak overnight first, or boil for 10 mins, then turn down and simmer.
*** I use Wisdom Natural Sweetleaf. I am absurdly picky and sensitive to stevia bitterness, and I approve of this brand, when used with care.

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified
1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/2 tsp sea salt
1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder

Puree!




Heat oven to 325. Pour batter into a small cake pan, lined with parchment/waxed paper on the bottom, and greased all around. Bake at 325 degrees for ~30 minutes- when done, top should be golden, slightly risen, and a toothpick poked into the center should come out clean.

FROSTING:

Combine in a small pan over low heat:
14.4 tbs**** cocoa powder / carob powder (I used ~1/3 carob)
4.8 tbs extra light olive oil (coconut oil would work too)
3/4 cup coconut milk
12 drops stevia
1 tsp agave / to taste

**** 16 tbs = 1 cup, so 14.4 = somewhere around a very scant cup
Mix well, and add:

2 tbsp coconut flour, sifted.


Let frosting cool. If necessary to achieve frosting-consistency, refrigerate before using.

After the cake comes out of the oven, let sit for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on cooling rack before frosting.


Then enjoy! I couldn't believe how amazing this turned out.
I'm never much of a cake person to begin with, but this really is perfect. My whole family approved as well!
 

HUUGE success.