Healthy chocolate layer cake (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ For chocolate cake layers (x3)
01 -
600g dates, pitted (around 24-30 dates)
02 -
600g dark baking chocolate, unsweetened or 70% cocoa
03 -
9 large eggs
04 -
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
05 -
180ml coconut oil
06 -
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
07 -
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
→ For the cream cheese frosting
08 -
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
09 -
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 -
225g cream cheese (like Philadelphia), softened
11 -
3 tablespoons maple syrup (or agave syrup)
# Instructions:
01 -
Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 15cm round cake tin, including the sides, with coconut oil. Roughly chop the chocolate and toss it in a food processor with the cocoa powder and baking soda. Process until the texture is very fine and sandy. Drop in the pitted dates and blend again, then slowly mix in the eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean from the middle. Let the cake cool before serving. Repeat the process for the next two cakes.
02 -
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, whip the cream cheese in a large bowl until it’s smooth and silky, which takes about 2 minutes. Pour in the maple syrup and vanilla, then beat for another minute. Scoop out 3/4 of the frosting into a separate bowl. Add cocoa powder to the remaining 1/4 and continue mixing until completely combined.
03 -
If the cakes are domed on the top, use a large knife to trim them down so all surfaces are nice and flat.
04 -
Put a teaspoon of the plain frosting in the center of your serving plate to ‘stick’ the first layer in place and stop sliding. Place the first chocolate cake layer on top. Spread a thick layer of plain frosting over it with a spatula or flexible scraper. Stack the second layer and cover it with another generous amount of plain frosting. Add the last cake layer upside down, making sure the top is level.
05 -
Spread a thin layer of the chocolate frosting all around the cake, leaving some of the cake visible. This layer will catch any crumbs that might fall off. Chill the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes.
06 -
After chilling, spread a thin chocolate frosting layer over the top (around 0.5mm thick). Gently add a super thin layer of chocolate frosting onto the rest of the cake to get that ‘naked cake’ look. Blend the chocolate and plain frostings for a marbled effect if you’d like. Decorate if you feel like it!
# Notes:
01 -
You can triple the ingredients and bake all three cakes at once. Just weigh the batter carefully and divide it equally.
02 -
The creator prefers 70% chocolate over unsweetened. The slight sweetness from it gives a better balance.