Naked Chocolate Cake

I absolutely love anything chocolate so here is one of my favourite one bowl chocolate cake recipes that you can whip up really quickly in the kitchen.  What I love about this one is that it’s so simple that your kids can easily make it.  If I’m really pressed for time, I just throw all the ingredients into my Vitamix for a few seconds to combine then pour the mix straight into the cake or cupcake tin. I vary the frosting on this cake which really depends on what I have on hand in the fridge. It’s lovely topped with a silky chocolate ganache or my healthy chocolate mousse. If I have any macadamia nut butter in the fridge, I also love to make my chocolate fudge frosting by mixing it with a little cacao, honey and water to get the right consistency.  Other great toppings are thick natural yoghurt, cream cheese frosting, ricotta + honey or simply just melted milk chocolate drizzled over the top.
What’s good about it:
Well firstly I love it because it’s high in protein which fills you up and is great to help repair the body and for a healthy immune system. I used Macadamia nut oil to make this delicious cake which works really well with baking and this great anti-inflammatory fat is also kind to your arteries. (make sure to use either coconut oil, olive oil or butter if you want this cake to be nut free.)  I’ve also used coconut flour in this recipe , mainly to make it gluten free and nut free so it’s kind to sensitive digestive systems and kids can take them to school – which are now nut free environments.   Another great thing about cooking with coconut flour is that it doesn’t give you that high blood sugar / insulin spike that you can often get with refined white flours.

• 1/4 cup (30 g / 1 oz)  Naked Chocolate or a quality cocoa
  1/4 cup (35 g / 1  1/4 oz) coconut flour (see notes )
  1  1/2  teaspoons (7 g) gluten free baking powder
  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  Pinch of sea salt
  4  eggs
  1/4 cup ( 3 tablespoons) honey or organic maple syrup
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  1/4 cup (60 ml / 2 oz) macadamia nut oil or melted coconut oil or butter

Preheat oven to 160 C.
Combine the cocoa, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt.
Add the eggs, honey, vanilla and oil.
Mix well until smooth and combined.
Spoon into a small 15  - 20 cm baking tin lined with baking paper – the smaller the tin the higher the cake… or alternatively spoon into 8 lined cup cake tins.
Bake the cake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Bake smaller cupcakes for about 20 – 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Enjoy alone or with your choice of frosting: (see below)
Serves 8
Nutrition per serve:

• Protein: 5 g
  Total fat: 10.4 g
  Saturated: 2.6 g
  Carbs: 14 g
  Sugars: 13 g
  Sodium: 54 mg
  Kilojoules: 744
  Calories: 177

NOTES:
You can get coconut flour from most health food stores or quality grocers.
Coconut flour is gluten free, high in fiber  + protein.
Frosting ideas:
1  Thick Greek Style yoghurt, ricotta + honey or coconut yoghurt.
2 Chocolate ganache made from 1 part good quality chocolate to 1/2  coconut milk,  thick greek style yoghurt or cream.  So for 300 g chocolate you will need 150 ml coconut milk, yoghurt  or cream.
3  For a chocolate cream frosting combine 2 ripe avocados, 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder, 1/4 cup honey, a pinch of sea salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.  Blend in a Vitamix until smooth and creamy.  Add a little splash of water for a smoother and fluffier consistency.
4  for a creamy cheesecake style frosting, combine 250 g (9oz) soft cream cheese such as quark with a little lemon zest, juice, vanilla  and a little maple syrup or honey to taste. Beat well until combined and creamy.
5 To make the chocolate fudge sauce take 1 heaped tablespoon of macadamia nut butter and mix with 1 teaspoon of honey + 1 teaspoon cocoa powder and a little hot water (2 – 3 tbsp) enough to mix into a smooth chocolate fudgy syrup.  Drizzle over the cake and enjoy.
EXTRA NOTES:
Now for those who have trouble getting coconut flour – You can replace with the following flour alternatives.
For gluten free alternatives use 1  1/2 cups almond or hazelnut meal to replace the 1/4 cup coconut flour.
For those who want to use wholemeal flours, use 1 cup (125 g) wholemeal spelt flour  + extra 20 g oil or butter + 1/2 cup (125 ml) your choice of milk.