Sinful Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake, naturally sweetened with dates and agave syrup, is always a crowd-pleaser.

No butter or refined sugar! Brought this dessert to a Mid-Autumn Festival party (a.k.a. Chinese Moon Cake day for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about 🙂 ). Everyone loved it and were pleasantly surprised when I announced to them, after they ate two slices of the chocolate cake of course, all the healthy ingredients! It matched very well with the French Fondue Bourguignonne that we ate before dessert. (By the way, a Fondue Bourguignonne is a fancy way to describe a hot pot of oil where you fry cubes of meat in.)

That day, we got to see a lunar eclipse, when the moon turns blood-red because it is in the Earth’s shadow (or something scientific like that). It was pretty awesome, but I couldn’t get a good photo because on the camera, for some reason, the moon looked white. But I got to see it with my eyes, so I’m happy.

This chocolate cake is very good, and no one will even notice it’s healthy! The melted chocolate on the top with the shredded coconut not only makes it look nice, but taste good too. I baked this cake in a 10-inch springform pan, but it was a bit thin. So for a thicker cake, bake it in a 9-inch springform pan and add a few minutes to baking time.

In a saucepan, add the coffee, water, amaretto (amaretto can be substituted with more water or coffee) and dates. Heat the saucepan over medium heat and leave it on the stove for 2o minutes, no lid required.

Take off the stove top and let it cool down. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together almond milk, coconut oil, agave syrup and vanilla. Set aside. In a small bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa powder and baking soda.

Blend the cooled date mixture in a food processor until it is a paste.

Mix the date paste into the liquid mixture until well combined.

Then whisk in the flour mixture and mix until all chocolaty and creamy!

Pour the batter into a parchment-lined and greased 9-inch springform pan. (For a thinner cake, use a 10-inch pan.)

Bake in a preheated 175 °C ( 350 °F) oven for 30-40 minutes, until puffed up and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before releasing cake from pan and transferring to a metal rack to cool down completely. Flip over and take the parchment paper off the bottom of the cake so it won’t slide. Then place the cake on a serving plate. Since my cake was a 10-inch one, I didn’t have any plates large enough so I used a cheese platter. (I know, weird, but what else was I supposed to do?)

Melt chocolate in a saucepan over low heat (or a double boiler if you really want to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn). Spread the chocolate over the cake, leaving a 1 inch border on the sides for presentation.

Last step: Sprinkle shredded coconut over top and let the cake sit for 1 or 2 hours so the chocolate can harden.

Makes 12 servings, or 8 big slices, depending on who you’re feeding!

Sinful Chocolate Cake

Servings: 12
Time: 1hr 15 mins
Difficulty: Medium
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Adapted from: Decadent Chocolate Torte-Vegan in the Freezer
Ingredients:
1 cup dates, pitted
1/2 cup freshly brewed coffee
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup amaretto (or water or coffee)
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. (78 g) coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup agave syrup (honey can be used instead)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup white flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup (90 g) dark chocolate, melted
1/4 cup shredded coconut for decoration

Instructions:

In a saucepan over medium, heat the dates, coffee, water and amaretto for 20 minutes. Remove from stove top and let it cool down.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together almond milk, coconut oil, agave syrup and vanilla. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 175 °C ( 350 °F). Line a 10-inch or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides with coconut oil.
Blend the date mixture in a food processor until it has a paste-like texture. Whisk it in the milk and oil mixture.
In a small bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture into the liquid mixture. Mix until well combined and creamy.
Pour batter in the springform pan and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffed up and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before releasing from pan. Place cake on a metal rack to cool down completely.
Melt the chocolate in a saucepan (or double boiler) over low heat. Set aside and flip the chocolate cake over to take off the parchment paper to prevent it from slipping. Flip the cake back over and place it on a serving plate. Spread the melted chocolate on top, leaving a 1-inch border. Garnish with shredded coconut.
Leave the cake at room temperature so the chocolate can harden. Serves 8-12 people. Tastes great with vanilla ice cream! Can store in the fridge, covered, for 5 days.