Description

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

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Instructions

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