Chocolate Strawberry Birthday Cake (Lectin-Free)

This chocolate birthday strawberry cake is the perfect healthy cake for celebrations if you are a chocolate lover. It’s sugar-free, lectin-free and gluten-free, and even low-carb. And you want to know the best part? It’s very easy to make, even for someone without previous baking experience. I love to make this cake during strawberry season, for my husband’s birthday.

Why we love this strawberry birthday cake

It’s a healthy sweet treat

If your thought birthday celebrations were meant to be filled with unhealthy indulgences, it’s time to change your mind. This delicious cake is sugar-free, lectin-free, gluten-free, and it’s even low-carb. We can’t ask for more.

It’s easy to make

The ingredients are easy to find, and making this cake doesn’t require previous baking experience. I am not particularly talented when it comes to decorating cakes, but even so, I managed to make this cake look festive.

Perfect for a small family celebration

This cake is made of two 5-inch chocolate cakes, each sectioned in half, making a small and tall, 4-layer birthday cake. It’s plenty for 6 people. And if you want to make it for a bigger gathering, you just have to double the ingredients and bake it in full-size cake pans.

The chocolate cake layers

The inspiration for the base of the cake came when I made the Simple Chocolate Snack Cake from The Plant Paradox Quick and Easy by Dr. Steven Gundry. I knew that would make a great base for a layer cake, with just a few small modifications.

Size-wise, I always make small cakes (about 5 inches) because we are a small family, and I prefer not to have to deal with leftovers. I have two 5-inch Le Creuset stoneware tapas dish, which are perfect for baking these cake layers (see below image).

To level the layers, I just shave the little dome the cake gets after baking.

If you want to make a full-size cake, just double the recipe and bake the cake in full-size round cake pans (8-inch).

The whipping cream, the filling

For the cream, I went with a basic organic heavy whipping cream I bought from Whole Foods. I just added one teaspoon of confectioners Swerve to it and whipped it on high with a hand mixer until I got the solid peaks.

I spread it between the layers with a few thin slices of strawberries and added the rest on top.

For a dairy-free cream option, opt to use whipped coconut cream. You make it the same way; you just want everything to be super cold: the cream, the mixer, the bowl you are mixing it in (you can put them in the freezer for 10 minutes before starting).

Add as many strawberries as you like; just make sure you buy organic ones, as the conventional ones are laden with pesticides and other toxic chemical residues.

The chocolate glaze

I also made a chocolate glaze, so this cake fully deserves the name ‘chocolate cake.’ This was also super simple, you can make it in five minutes on the stove. Just melt chocolate chips, cacao butter, vanilla, and yacon syrup in a small saucepan, on top of a pot with hot water (not boiling).

Because cacao butter gets solid at room temperature, the glaze will be solid, like a chocolate bar. We love this thin hard layer of chocolate. Alternatively, for a softer glaze, you can use French butter instead of cacao butter.

Most of the products I used I linked below:

• BLANCHED ALMOND FLOUR
• YACON SYRUP
• SWERVE CONFECTIONERS
• TAZA CHOCOLATE – 95%
• PASCHA CHOCOLATE CHIPS – 100%
• COCONUT MILK / CREAM

(if you don’t find coconut cream, simply put a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight, the cream will separate from the water, it’s usually half/half); in the winter, due to being colder in our houses, the cream is separated anyway)

• CACAO BUTTER 
• CACAO POWDER
• EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
• CREAM OF TARTAR

More lectin-free desserts and birthday cake recipes

Just in case chocolate is not your thing or you just want to explore more options, I have more birthday cakes on this website: 

• Happy Birthday Carrot Cake 
• Almond Hazelnut Birthday Cake with Mascarpone Cream
• Sugar-Free Carrot Cake (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free)
• Gluten-Free Tiramisu in a Jar (Sugar-Free, Lectin-Free)
• Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake with Mascarpone Frosting (Sugar-Free)

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.

Print Recipe

Chocolate Strawberry Birthday Cake (Lectin-Free)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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By Claudia Curici, Health Coach – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 40 minutes – Cooking Time: 25 minutes

A chocolate heaven; a lectin-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free cake for festive occasions.

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 1 cup blanched almond flour, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder OR 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 3 tablespoons Swerve or Monk Fruit (increase the amount if you want a sweeter cake, as this cake tastes like 90% chocolate)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 pasture-raised eggs
• 1/3 cup full-fat, unsweetened coconut cream
• 3 tablespoons dark chocolate bar, chopped (above 85%))
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of two organic oranges
• FOR THE FILLING:
• 8oz Organic Heavy Whipping Cream (I used Organic Valley)
• 1-2 teaspoon Swerve or monk fruit (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
• 25g solid cacao butter (about 1oz) OR use French butter for a softer glaze
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used 100% dark Pascha chocolate chips, for a sweeter glaze, you can use chocolate above 75% cacao)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 teaspoon Yacon Syrup OR use Stevia drops to taste
• FOR DECORATION:
• a handful of organic strawberries

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the baking dishes with olive or avocado oil and line them with two strips of parchment paper, arranged in a cross, for easy release.

2

To make the cakes: Mix the flour, cacao, baking powder, sweetener, and salt in one bowl. Mix the eggs and coconut cream in a smaller bowl. Mix the chocolate, orange zest, vanilla, and oil and gently heat and stir in a thick saucepan to melt the chocolate. Let it cool for a few minutes, then add to the egg mixture while whisking. Add the wet mixture to the dry and whisk vigorously for a few minutes. Pour in the two pans and bake for 25 minutes, checking after 20 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn - and do the toothpick test to see if they are ready. Let cool completely; level the top of each layer by slicing the dome with a good knife; then carefully slice each cake in two layers, right in the middle.

3

Make sure the strawberries are dry; slice a few of them for filling.

4

The filling and glaze should be made when you are ready to decorate. Make the glaze first by melting the ingredients in a thick saucepan on top of another pan with hot water, but not boiling. Gently heat and stir and put aside to cool down when ready (this glaze gets completely solid when cold, so you want it still liquid to pour it on the cake, but not too hot so it doesn't affect the whipping cream.

5

Make the whipping cream the traditional way by whipping the heavy cream, sweetener, and vanilla on high with an electric mixer until solid peaks form.

6

Start assembling by layering this way: cake - cream - strawberry slices - cream, and repeat. For the top, pour the glaze, let it cool a little, then decorate with the rest of the cream and strawberries. You can grate some chocolate on top.

Notes

The cakes should be made in advance so they have time to cool completely. The best is to make the filling and the glaze when you are ready to decorate. The cream can be made from coconut cream - the same process, just make sure the coconut cream, mixing bowl and beaters are super cold (put them in the freezer 15 minutes before your start). To make a full-size cake (8in), double the quantity. If you make the full-size cake, the baking time will change; bake for about extra 10 minutes, and apply the toothpick test.