Healthy Ish Chocolate Cake Recipes

HEALTHY-ISH CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
• Beat agave nectar, applesauce, raw sugar, eggs, sunflower oil, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Whisk all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl. Add flour mixture to applesauce mixture and stir until combined.
• Fold zucchini and walnuts into applesauce mixture until batter is evenly-mixed. Spread batter into prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CAKE (WHOLE WHEAT, GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN OPTIONS)

Steps:

• If using honey, preheat your oven to 325 °F (167 °C). If not using honey (which bakes quicker than sugar, hence the lower temperature), preheat to 350 °F (175 °C).
• Line 2 round 8" cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom and then grease the sides of the pans.
• In a large bowl, stir together the sugar (if using honey, don't add it yet), flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add eggs, milk, honey (if using), olive oil and vanilla. Mix for 2 minutes on medium and then stir in the boiling water. The batter will be almost as thin as water. If you taste it, it will NOT taste good! But don't worry. It tastes great after baking.
• Divide the batter between the two pans.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs, but no uncooked liquid. The bake time will vary widely depending on what combination of sugar / eggs / flour you use. The whole wheat / egg / honey version is on the longer side. The gluten-free / chia egg / honey version is on the shorter side.
• Let cool completely before frosting.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Scatter the pecans evenly over the baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool the nuts completely and chop.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream of coconut, and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together until smooth. Slowly pour in about ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture to temper the eggs, so they won't curdle, and then, whisking constantly, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the coconut and pecans.
• Let cool completely before frosting the cake. The frosting can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan or coat with nonstick spray. Line the pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
• Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour in the hot coffee and vanilla. Let stand for about 2 minutes to melt the chocolate, then stir until smooth.
• While the chocolate is melting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer), combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Let the mixer run on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes to aerate the flour.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and oil together until thick, satiny, and light in color. Whisk in the sour cream, being careful not to overmix; leave some visible streaks of white.
• Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and mix until just combined.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the chocolate-sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients in thirds, mixing until well blended. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand (if using) and, using a rubber spatula, incorporate any ingredients hiding at the bottom of the bowl, making sure the batter is completely mixed.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Tap the pans firmly on the countertop to remove any air bubbles from the batter.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then use the parchment "handles" to lift the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack to cool completely.
• Transfer the cake to a serving platter (you can keep the edges of the platter clean while you frost the cake by sliding strips of parchment underneath the cake). Frost the top and sides of the cake with the frosting.
• The cake can be stored, loosely covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.