A very classic Chocolate Cake. This version is Gluten Free and filled with Zuchinni instead of butter! I mean, this is basically like eating a salad.Grown men have told me it’s the best cake they’ve ever eaten, and flat-out refuse to believe that there are vegetables hidden inside. The trick is in the beating of those eggs and sugar at the beginning… keep it up!
Ingredients
Cake:
3 Free Range Eggs
1 1/2 cup Raw Sugar
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 cup Almond Flour
1 cup Rice Flour
1/4 tsp Xanthum Gum & 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 cup Finely Grated Zuchinni
Frosting:
1/3 cup Vegan Shortening. I like the Nutiva brand, it's just a blend of healthy coconut and red palm oils. You can also just use softened butter if you don't need to be dairy free.
2 cups Sifted Icing Sugar
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla
Splash of Coconut Milk (to make it move, about 4 Tablespoons)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Prepare your 2 cakes pans by thoroughly greasing them with butter or oil and then flouring the pan. Gluten Free baking can be tricky to remove from it’s pan… paying attention to this step will ensure your cake comes out easily from the pan once baked.
Leaving the skin on, grate your zucchini like you'd grate cheese. Then wrap it in a few sheets of paper towel and gently press out some of the moisture. Let that sit while you…
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer to stand mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar until they are thick and a light yellow color. After approx. 2 mins you will begin to see that the mixture holds the ‘track marks’ of your blender and is significantly thicker than when you began.
Now add in the cocoa powder and 1 tsp vanilla, beat again for maybe 30 secs.
Gently sprinkle the dry ingredients on top of the egg&sugar mix, taking care to not be too rough. You’ve spent all this time beating air into the cake mixture so that it will be light and fluffy! Proceed with care!
Using a large spoon or rubber spatula gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg&sugar mix, working in about 10 large circular stirs. You want to scrape the bottom of the bowl and bring whats there to the top, folding it in with each motion.
Now gently fold in your grated zucchini.
Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans and place on the center rack of your preheated oven.
Bake for 25-40 mins. You know its done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely in the pans before turning out onto your cooling rack. I do this by swiftly turning the pan over onto the rack, and then giving the bottom of the pie pan quite a violent wack!
For the Frosting:
Using your electric hand mixer, combine all the ingredients plus 1 tsp vanilla in a large bowl.
Slowly add coconut milk a Tablespoon (approx. 4 Tbsp) at a time until the frosting reaches a thick and creamy consistency.
Frost that cake!