Chocolate Spice Cake

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To be absolutely honest, I never would have put this recipe together if it hadn’t been for a bake off I entered – I needed to come up with a gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, nut free, keto and low carb friendly chocolate cake! Also, I couldn’t use any fruit.

Coconut and coconut flour were allowed, so my mind went in all sorts of directions. At first I thought of going all in with the coconut and doing some sort of chocolate coconut cake.

Then I did a u-turn and thought about throwing some zucchini in there to make a moist chocolate zucchini cake (but that meant going to the grocery store – NO THANK YOU).

I looked through my pantry and had a look at all of my spices and I thought, I do love spicy chocolate… Maybe I can make a cake along those lines… There are plenty of spice cake recipes out there, keto or otherwise, but I hadn’t heard of a chocolate spice cake before. So, I gave it a try! I know I have a winner when my non-keto husband says he likes something, and he really liked this!

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I do want to note that I go heavy on the spices because I really wanted that flavor to pack a mean punch, and it does! It’s pretty essential to balance out the spice with some cooling elements. Because of the bake off rules, I topped with whipped coconut cream. Any of my dairy-eating peeps should feel free to top with sugar free whipped cream!

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Another note about my experience with coconut flour is that it tends to make my cakes denser and a little on the dry side, which is why I added coconut oil and coconut milk to help balance that out, and I recommend topping with sugar free maple syrup to add some moisture back in. The maple flavor also compliments the spice incredibly well, and when you get a bite of that cake with some powdered erythritol, the syrup, and the whip… it’s phenomenal!

Alright, are you going to make this? Here’s what you need:

• 8 x 8 baking dish
• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk/Fork/Large spook for mixing (and/or a hand mixer, if available)
• Parchment paper
• An oven with convection baking mode

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 2/3 cup granulated erythritol (or another keto-friendly sweetener/sugar alcohol)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup coconut milk

Optional, for topping: Sugar free maple syrup, coconut whipped cream, powdered cinnamon, powdered erythritol

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F on convection baking mode* and line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Combine coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, cocoa powder in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3. Mix in the eggs, granulated erythritol, vanilla extract, and the coconut oil and mix well with a whisk, a fork, or hand mixer until it forms a smooth batter.
4. Pour the batter into the parchment paper-lined baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 32-40 minutes. Check your cake at the 32-minute mark with a dry toothpick – if the toothpick comes out clean and the cake seems fully cooked, remove from the oven and let cool completely. If the toothpick comes out wet with batter on it, put your cake back in the oven and check it every 4-6 minutes until it appears to be fully cooked.
5. Remove the cake from the baking dish and let it cool until it comes to room temperature. Do not attempt to slice the cake until it’s cooled, otherwise it will end up being a crumble! I find it slices best when it’s cold, so feel free to store it in the fridge for an hour after it comes to room temperature.
6. When your cake is ready for slicing, treat yourself to a generous piece and top with powdered erythritol, sugar-free maple syrup, whipped coconut cream, and more ground cinnamon. These toppings will balance the spiciness in the cake and create a party in your mouth! Enjoy!
   *Convection mode helps evenly distribute heat to ensure your cake has an even cook! Not required, but helpful.

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