Extra Moist Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sweet Rice Flour
• 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour
• 1/2 cup Potato Starch Flour
• 1 cup + 3 TBS Unsweetened Dark ChocolateCocoa Powder
• 2 cups Milled Sucanat Sugar (Use a coffee grinder)
• 1/2 cup Raw Agave Nectar
• 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum (Or Guar Gum for the Corn Avoiders)
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Large Organic Eggs (or Egg replacer- see note in text)
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil (Or other mildly flavored oil)
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (Any Variation of Vinegar will do)
• 1 Avocado- peeled and core removed.
• 1 (13.66 oz) Can Heavy (full fat) Coconut Milk
• 1 1/2 cups Dairy/Gluten Free Chocolate Chips (Such as from the brand -Enjoy Life)
• 1/2 Cup Sucanat Sugar (or other sugar) (No need to mill it this time)
• 3/4 Cup Raw Agave Nectar
• 8 TBS Earth Balance Butter Or 8 TBS of Coconut Oil (for the Corn Avoiders)
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cup Heavy (Full Fat Coconut milk)
• a tiny pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 Cup + 1 Tbs Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
• 1 Cup Tapioca Flour or Arrowroot

Directions

For this Recipe I went the refined sugar free route- In my latest research I read that grinding larger sugar crystals can help aid in baking-  I had a big bag of sucanat in my pantry – so by default it was what I used.  I quickly ground it before adding it in with the other ingredients- and I was happy with the end result. You will notice that I also called for Raw Agave- you could also use honey or Coconut Nectar. My reasoning for using two different sugars is to create just the perfect moisture level. Agave can up the moisture level- so this is why I used less of it.  If you don’t do the refined free- sugar thing- feel free to just use regular white sugar.  Just simply combine the 2 sugar amounts- however give the batter a taste test- because I have found the refined white sugar creates a much sweeter cake- and you may want to use a little less than I have called for.  If you want to use another crystallized Refined Free Sugar- go to town. Try Using the Combination of Xylitol and  Raw Honey!

As you scroll through the ingredients list Im sure you all will stop dead in your tracks when you read “Avocado”. I know- it sounds really odd . Let me explain my reasoning for its use.  Moist cake happens when there is a high fat content. Back before I gave up Dairy- and more recently Soy I would have used Sour Cream or Pudding- even yogurt sometimes. I don’t know if you guys noticed- but I sure as heck scoff at the prices of the dairy free variations. And then of course- they all seem to contain Soy. So what does that leave us with? An Avocado. A creamy, high in healthy fats delicious Avocado. The avocado works in this recipe really well as the chocolate covers its mild flavor. Don’t even mention this hidden ingredient and I promise NO ONE will ever even begin to detect it. All you will hear is “Wow is this cake moist”.

If you are avoiding Corn- I just recently figured out that Vanilla extract contains Corn – I did some research and read that Bell Buckle Pure Vanilla Extract is safe. (You could also try making your own!- it quite easy to do)  Also make sure to check for Corn Ingredients in your Baking Powder.

Eggs- Ideally I wanted to present to you a Vegan Recipe. This recipe was my starting point- Which I why I only allowed myself the use of 2 eggs. Im quite confident that using Ener-G Egg Replacer  in the eggs place will work well.(hence my tagging this as an egg free recipe) To do this just whisk together 4 Tbs of Water mixed with 1 Tbs  of Egg replacer.  I’ll be testing out this recipe egg free myself soon and will share my experience. I predict that the cake might rise just a little less- but will still taste just as wonderful.

For this cake – I avoided the use of my stand mixer. Sometimes Over-mixing can create a tougher end product. I happily mixed this batter with only a whisk in my hand!  Side note on the batter- its on the thicker side. This is what you want.

I used a large Spring form Pan to make this cake- a 10 inch circular Whopper. Feel Free to go with 2 small pans- or even a square dish. Any cake pan will do (Except for maybe a Bundt Pan)  I went as far as doubling this recipe and making a big 2 tier cake.

And Finally I wanted to note that this cake can be make with Arrowroot in place of the Tapioca- which is what I usually recommend as Arrowroot is much easier to digest-  BUT- I will tell you that in this case the Tapioca is going to yield a better cake  as it imparts more texture than the arrowroot will.

For the frosting I went with a glaze- I have been playing around with frosting’s that do not use powdered sugar- this is what I came up with. In the future I plan to come up with something a little simpler.. I used 2 different sugars- as I ran out of sucanat and had no other choice. Feel free to tamper with this AND Feel free to use any of frosting you love- A buttercream would be excellent here. Check out my recipe for Gluten Free/Vegan Buttercream for some additional fun ideas.

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees and spray cake pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. In a Large Bowl combine all the dry ingredients- mix well.
3. In a Food Processor or Blender combine the Can of Heavy Coconut Milk and the Avocado until pureed and creamy.
4. Pour the avocado/Coconut mixture into the flour mixture and then add all the other wet ingredients (the order does not matter )
5. Once the batter is fully mixed- Stir in the chocolate chips.  Pour the batter into the prepared Pan and place on the top shelf of the preheated oven. Bake 50 minutes. Note: this time may be slightly shorted if you are using smaller pans- but I highlight the word slightly- as the moisture in this cake will require that it has some good quality oven time)
6. While the cake is baking- prepare the Chocolate Glaze Frosting. In a Sauce Pan Over medium-low heat Melt the Butter (or Coconut Oil) Stir in the Heavy Coconut Milk and Sucanat and Raw Agave Sugars. Allow the sucanat to dissolve. Add to the mixture the Vanilla extract, Tiny pinch of Cayenne (optional) and whisk in the Cocoa Powder. Remove the pot from heat and allow it to cool slightly. Then Whisk in the Tapioca Flour.  Give the Glaze a taste- if it is slightly bitter add more agave- if you want it more chocolatey add a bit more cocoa powder. If you want it thicker add more Tapioca. Place the glaze in the fridge to cool. It will thicken slightly as it cools.
7. Test the cake for doneness with a toothpick- and then remove it allowing it to cool. Once it and the Glaze have cooled completely drizzle the glaze on the cake.

I topped my Cake with a few raspberries and spinach leaves just for fun!