Zucchini & Chia Seed Moist Choocolate Cake

You always need chocolate right??

Zucchini and Chia seed, Moist  Chocolate cake 

A chocolate cake with some added goodness.
After 3 years being a tagged on recipe on another post I have finally out this chocyliscious baby on a post all of her own! x

A beautiful, moist chocolate cake (with added goodness).
Most of us love a chocolate cake and if you are going to have a chocolate cake why not have one with some goodness inside!

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 1 cup coconut sugar (or swap for stevia)
• 1 tsp good vanilla
• 200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 cups zucchini finely grated
• 4 free range eggs
• 1 cup almond meal
• 3 cups gluten free self raising flour, OR 2 cups organic self raising flour OR wholemeal spelt with 2 teaspoons baking powder.
• 1-2 cups whipped cream or whipped coconut cream for dairy free
• jam (I use homemade or sugar free with stevia/fruit juice sweetener )
• walnuts
• fresh strawberries to serve

Method

• Pre heat oven to 180`c
• Grease and line with baking paper 2 x 20 cm cake tins
• Gently melt chocolate and butter
• Combine chocolate butter mixture in a bowl with the sugar
• Add in vanilla essence, eggs
• Mix in almond meal and flour, mix together well
• Fold in zucchini and chia seeds
• Pour mixture into lined tins
• Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until springs back when touched
• Turn both cakes onto a wire rack to cool
• Once cold place one cake onto a dish, spread with a generous layer of rosella conserve and then a layer of whipped cream and some sliced fresh strawberries
• Assemble second cake on top (arrange it flat bottom on top for a neater topped cake), top with whipped cream and decorate with walnuts and fresh strawberries
• Enjoy!

Notes

• Use milk chocolate for a milder version
• Leave the cream out and instead make and use a dark chocolate icing in its place
• Squash can be used in place of zucchini if you find you have lots of them growing in your garden!
• Swap walnuts for more fresh fruit or even choc chips!
• Use wholemeal spelt flour – this does make the cake heavier so I recommend adding in some vanilla yogurt if you use any type of wholemeal flour

Rebecca xx

Bek's Chocolate Wrap Up. Healthy & Moorish Chocolate Easter Ideas From The Vault

Happy Easter everyone!

I hope it is safe, joyous and delicious for all.

For me I love Easter and the wonderful thing is you can enjoy and celebrate all things chocolate without gain 3 kilo's, truly you can! Easter, to me is about family and friends, good food, a celebartion and of course, chocolate.

But if your going to enjoy some delicious chocolate why not make it beautiful home-made your body will love and you wont have to run off for several weeks!

On the Sunshine Coast we also have the delight of the Easter weekend Kenilworth Cheese Festival complete with a kids "cheese hunt" as apposed to an egg hunt, cheese rolling ( a lot of fun!), cheese factory taste testing, wine taste testing and numerous gourmet and interesting stalls to delight. a pleasant way to spend Easter Sunday and a savoury break!

Looking for some delicious, healthy chocolate inspiration?

Bek's chocolate wrap

 Fruit and Nut Healthy Chocolates

 (gluten free, dairy free, vegan, refined sugar free)

Moorish Fruit & Nut Chocolate Slice(gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, vegan)

Spelt, Beetroot and Walnut Chocolate Brownies
(refined sugar free)

Sour Cherry, Spelt Chocolate Biscuits(Refined Sugar Free)

Chocolate Macadamia Ice Cream

Choccyliscious Muffins ( No Added Sugar)

Moist Fudgey Chocolate Cake Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Dairy Free

Zucchini & Chia Chocolate Cake

Beautiful Beetroot & Yoghurt Chocolate Muffins

Raw Energy Date, Pecan, Macadamia Chocolate SliceGluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Raw, Refined Sugar Fee

Chocolate Raspberry, Goji SliceGluten Free, Dairy Free, Almost Raw, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free

Blissed Out Banana Split with Chocolate Sauce & Coconut Ice Cream(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Vegan, Almost Raw, Refined Sugar Free)

And this I had to add in even though it is not my recipe, this unbelievably scrumptious creation is based on a recipe by Nutra Organics found on Natural New Age Mum, and has fast become a staple at our house for a delicious, easy to whip up in just moments treat!
Get the NNAM sensational original recipe post HERE
(plus you REALLY need to follow that blog it is beyond awesome!)
Nutra Organics Superfood Choccy Fudge My tweaked version is:

1 cup coconut oil, runny room temperature

1 cup organic rice malt syrup  (I often use less as we don't like it too sweet)

6 tablespoons cacao powder

2 heaped tablespoons Nutra Organics Super Greens Plus Reds (oh yeah all that goodness!)

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
*1/2 teaspoon pink himalayn salt 

*1/2 cup sunflower seed butter

*1/2 cup sunflower seeds
*1/2 organic raisins
*1/2 cup walnuts
*1/2 cup whatever I feel like adding, could be dried figs, prunes, macadamia's, peppita seeds etc
Sooo yum!
I mix the coconut oil and rice malt, then add cacao and greens powder and salt, then paste, then mix all well.
pop in a lined tray and put in the fridge until set, remove, slice, return and store to fridge, putting on a high shelf otherwise your kids will slowly but surely shorten your supply when you are not looking!
If you are REALLY desperate for a choccy fix, like need right now and I "may" have done this, you can set it super fast in the freezer hehehe! 

Happy Cooking!
Eat beautiful, be active, live well, be happy
Bek XXX

No Added Sugar Choccy Cake

Due to popular request from Facebook

Here it is!!

My No Added Sugar, Gluten Free, Moist Choccy Cake XX

Chocolate Cake
Such a classic well loved invention and so many delicious variations out there!
One of my favourite things to make is chocolate cake.

I make a few versions myself and this one is my moist, no added sugar, gluten-free Chocolate cake X

Ingredients

Cake 

• 1 cups dates
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup cacoa (or organic cocoa)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste
• 1/4 cup stevia (or to taste)
• 8 drops chocolate stevia (optional for extra chocolatey flavour)
• 1/4 cup dark agave (or raw honey or maple syrup or rice malt syrup - you pick) optional
• 2 cups almond meal (if you are nut free read notes)
  

Frosting

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup dates
• 1 tablespoon Maca powder
• 1/4 cup cacoa (or organic cocoa)
• 8 choc stevia drops
• 1 tablespoon dark agave or honey (optional)

Optional Cream Layer

• 1 cup whipped cream. I use Maleny Dairies cream.

Method 

• Soak all dates in a bowl of water, just covered overnight, (or for at least 3 hours). Separate into two lots.
• Pre-heat oven to 180`c.
• Grease and line with baking paper 2 cake pans.
• In a bowl combine butter and stevias.
• Mash 2 of the bananas and add into the butter mix with the olive oil.
• Stir in almond meal, mix together, add a small amount of water if required.
• Gently toss through the frozen blueberries and pour mixture into prepared pans, trying to have an even amount of mixture in each.
• Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 20 minutes or until cake springs back from the tough on top.
• Remove from oven and leave in its pan to cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing by lifting out the paper and placing on a wire rack to completely cool.
• Prepare frosting while cake cools.
• Frosting:  In a blender combine frosting ingredients, blend together well. adjust sweetness if required to taste.
• Place frosting in a bowl, covered to chill in the fridge.
• When cakes are completely cool place one on a serving plate.
• Cover with a layer of the choc frosting and then a layer of cream.
• Top with the second cake.
• Cover with a layer of frosting.
• Chill whole cake for 15 minutes
• Serve.
• Store cake in the fridge.

Notes

• A very moist cake.
• Perfect for when bananas are in season and cheap.
• In season I like to use fresh cherries or fresh blueberries. With fresh cherries, remove pips and stems and toss through in place of the blueberries and serve with fresh cherries.
• Make as a single layer cake and just top with frosting and optionally serve with cream.
• Egg can be added to make the cake firmer. I have made this cake both with and without.
• If you are allergic to all nuts you could use a gluten free flour alternative in place of the almond meal, but you may need to make a few adjustments so it doesn't become too heavy. I would also add in some sorghum flour as well as a gf flour to increase healthy protein in the cake too.
• To make dairy free swap butter for oil and leave out cream.

Toddler Tips

• This is a great cake for toddlers, especially with no added sugar.

Happy Cooking!

Rebecca XX

The same cake made single layer with fresh cherries X

You might also like  Maca Balls, Chocclicious (no added sugar) Muffins, Choc Beetroot Muffins, Zucchini and Chia Seed Chocolate Cake

If you are a chocolate loving person but want to be healthy too I highly recommend hopping over and having a read of these two great blogs who have stack of gorgeous, healthy choccyness:
Natural New Age Mum
Naughty Naturopath Mum

Recipe and photography (c)RebeccaMugridge2013