I’ve made the paleo chocolate birthday cake recipe from Paleo Spirit countless times and had great results. It’s delicious. But since it’s all coconut flour, it is quite dense, and uses a lot of eggs. I don’t have a problem with egging up my baked goods, but when I quadruple (or more) the recipe for a party I’m catering, it gets a little crazy, and expensive, considering I’m extremely particular when it comes to my eggs.
Let’s talk about that for a moment, shall we?
You may have noticed that the vast majority of egg cartons boast the words “vegetarian fed” Sounds good, right? But is it? Are chickens supposed to be vegetarians? Pretend for moment that you are lucky enough to have chickens in your backyard. What are they pecking at back there? Corn and soy? Hmmm… Probably not. The truth is this: Chickens are not vegetarians. Based on what I’ve been told by chicken owners, they’re essentially the pigs of the bird world. They eat everything, and especially love the bugs and grubs that they find in the ground. (also pizza crusts, but we won’t go there) This begs the question: If free range chickens are vegetarians, where (and what) is this range they’re so free on? They aren’t vegetarian by choice, which means they’re kicking it on some pretty impenetrable concrete, outside of tiny cages perhaps, but not much of a step up.
Phew. Now that we’ve covered that, you’re probably wondering which eggs to buy. My first choice is the pastured eggs I get at the farmers market from the same wonderful people I get my meat from, Fallon Hills. I’ve been to the ranch, and the chickens really are hanging out in the grass, being chickens, acting dumb. Pastured eggs such as these are more expensive than the free range organic ones you find at your supermarket but to me, it’s worth it. If you have a farmers market near you, find a farmer who sells eggs and ask them about how the hens spend their days. My second choice are pastured eggs from a larger company, such as Vital Farms. They supplement with corn and soy, which I’m not crazy about, but it’s still a better option than the rest. At least their chickens get some quality outside time and as many bugs and grubs as they can find.
Well, I bet you never saw a big lecture about eggs coming on a post about chocolate cake, did you? I honestly didn’t either. This is what happens when I write first thing in the morning while still drinking coffee. Apologies. Now, on with the cake.
I’ll take a barely sweet ganache over buttercream any day.
No joke.
No Joke Dark Chocolate Cake
Feel free to make this as complicated, or as simple as you’d like. This cake would be perfectly lovely plain, no frosting, with some berries. For a birthday or other special occasion, Go all out! Chocolate whipped cream filling and ganache glaze makes this cake one to remember.
This recipe made 2 small spring form pans. If you plan on making a large (10″ or so) cake, double the recipe.
For the Cake:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil (plus more for greasing pans)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the chocolate whipped cream filling:
3/4 cup heavy cream (or equivalent in coconut cream, from the top of an unshaken can of coconut milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life because they’re gluten and soy free)
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the ganache glaze:
4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon honey
Make the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 and grease and line 2 small spring form pans (I used 6″, but you could use 8″ or 9″ and make a 2 layer cake instead of 4) Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Sift dry ingredients (almond flour through salt) into a medium sized bowl
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir to combine and add to the dry ingredients.
- Beat until well combined by hand, and pour into the prepared pans.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of your pans. If using larger ones, check after 20 minutes.
Make the chocolate whipped cream filling:
- Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water.
- Beat your cream until it’s fairly stiff.
Like this.
If you’re using coconut cream, it may not get as stiff, but that’s okay.
- Add the melted chocolate and give it another quick whip, and scrape down the sides of the bowl so it’s mixed in well.
Make the ganache glaze:
- Melt the butter, unsweetened chocolate, and chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water. (you can use the same bowl you melted the chocolate in for the whipped cream, scraped out)
- Once it’s melted, stir in the honey and turn off the heat.
- Here’s where patience and attentiveness comes in: Remove the bowl from the heat and allow it to come to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. You want the ganache to thicken, but not get so hard that you’ll have to spread it on the cake. You want to be able to pour it. It will probably take about 1/2 hour to get to the right consistency, a good time to do all of the dishes you just made dirty.
Put it all together!
I made a small 4 layer cake out of this recipe, but could have easily kept it simple and made it 2 layers instead.
- If you’re going for 4 layers, cut each cake in half, and arrange the bottom layer on a plate with parchment paper tucked in around the edged to keep the frosting from getting all over the plate.
Like this.
Plop 1/3 of the chocolate whipped cream in the center and spread it out to the edges.
Like this.
- Repeat.
- Stick the cake in the fridge to allow the filling to harden a bit.
- Once the ganache is at the right consistency, pour it over the top of the cake and push to the edges so it falls over. If the sides of your cake are prettier than mine, leaving it dripping might look nice. My cake was was a bit wacky, so I tried to spread the ganache to cover the sides. It didn’t really work. But like I’ve said before, I’m a chef, not a baker!
I have a backyard flock. And boy do those suckers love meat. I always scoff at the veg fed eggs. Ridiculous! I wont give them soy feed…who wants second hand soy? I get offal from my grass fed cow and pastured pork and I give it to my girls. For the life of me I can’t stomach liver but the chickens go CRAZY for it. I also make raw milk kefir for them…after I’ve stollen the cream from the top
I will always and forever love you for bacon jam!
This made me giggle. I love that you love me for bacon jam! If we were neighbors, I’d definitely trade you bacon jam for some of those eggs
I’m definitely trying this recipe next month for my husband’s birthday. Thanks for sharing – you’re awesome! Love your writing style, and I enjoyed your egg lecture. Preach it!
Thanks!
If you take some dental floss you can easily “cut” the rounded top part of the cake off by wrapping the floss around the cake, corssing it and pulling it until it comes out. The cakes stack better this way and then would look nice dripping ganache
Then you have bits of ugly cake leftover so you can taste test the whipped cream and ganache
Oh yeah! I always forget about the floss trick! Thanks for the reminder. Here’s to hoping my next cake is less funny looking
This looks amazing and I will definitely try it out! Confused re the flour used though. You mention at the top of the post that it’s all coconut flour and therefore quite dense, but the ingredients list almond flour?
This cake is a blend of flours, the cake I have made in the past from a different blog (Paleo Spirit) used just coconut flour.
Ahh, thanks for the clarification!
I’m new to paleo baking. Do you use the same test for doneness – toothpick in the middle? Thanks.
Yup! This cake turns out strikingly similar to “normal” cake- the toothpick test works great
I just discovered your blog and can’t find the subscription button. You have that feature, right?
I do now! Thanks, I recently moved my blog (to here) and didn’t realize I forgot to add that feature. Thanks for the heads up, Sara!
We have a pastured flock of layers and they lay all winter but obviously aren’t eating pasture in Vermont! I have explored non-soy/corn feeds and they are ridiculously expensive– even going to our local coop and buying the grains in bulk is exorbitant. So we are planning to raise fly maggots next summer for the little carnivores (surprising how many of them want to snack on each other!) and I like the idea of the offal from the butchering of our Red Ranger meat birds. Gotta check out that “bacon jam”. Glad I found your blog (via Nom Nom Paleo).
LOVE!! I have been searching and searching for a great ‘Paleo-type’ GF cake recipe for my daughter’s wedding and this looks to fit the bill! I am highly allergic to so many things!! I have tried many recipes that just fell short! I will try this soon and see how it goes but it certainly looks incredible! Thanks so much for coming up with something so amazing!!!
You’re so welcome! I hope you love it!
I know it won’t come up as fluffy, but I’m going to give this a go without eggs – we’re grain-free, and my daughter is allergic to eggs! Makes it tricky to bake
but I’ll have a go! Might use flax gel.
Have you tried Ener-g egg replacement? I have no idea if it’s paleo friendly, but it works wonderfully in place of eggs.
I’ve used Ener-G egg replacer in baking for years. I didn’t have good results until I realized that you have to actually create an egg-like consistency by mixing it and water together before you add it to your recipe that calls for eggs. Ingredients (from their web page):
INGREDIENTS: Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour, Leavening (Calcium Lactate, Calcium Carbonate, Citric Acid), Cellulose Gum, Modified Cellulose.
How is the moistness of the cake? That’s been my number one complaint w gluten free baking. Looks awesome though!
It’s super moist. It has a lot more fat than the average GF cake due to the almond and coconut flours. I hope you love it!
Absolutely love this gluten-free recipe and the care you took to write out all the steps! I’ve shared it on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SimpleDailyChange. Can’t wait to try the recipe!
Sara Chambers-Moss
SimpleDailyChange.com
Thanks, Sara!
This cake looks DIVINE. Question though – can you use almond meal instead of flour, or do you need the finely ground flour in order to achieve the right texture?
I think almond meal would work! I’d make a single batch, though, and not double it until you’re sure it comes out right. It might be a bit heavier.
Do you have an almond flour that you recommend? I have Bob’s Red Mill at home, but while it says flour on the package, it’s really very coarsely ground and has been a disaster in everything I’ve tried so far from a coating on meat to pancakes.
And thank you for this recipe! I found the link on Nom Nom’s site. It’s perfect timing as I have been scouring the web searching for a paleo chocolate cake or brownies to make for an upcoming dinner club and this looks like it will be perfect!
A finely-ground almond flour? Honeyville seems to be the gold standard. Although it’s only available online, as far as I can tell.
Regarding eggs, I found Vital Farms because of this fantastic list:
http://www.cornucopia.org/organic-egg-scorecard/
It shows (depressingly) that pretty much every national brand of eggs is junk. So it’s Vital Farms or trustworthy locals!
The chickens were being chickens and acting dumb….you’re hilarious! Thanks so much for all that you are doing to get the word out about this awesome lifestyle.
I plan on making a cupcake version of this tonight. Any suggestions as to bake time at 350F? Much appreciated!
Hmmmm I made cupcakes for the test batches of this cake and wish I noted the bake time! I’m guessing you’d want to check them after 10-12 minutes, and go from there.
I used to use Honeyville almond flour but it took so long to get here that I switched to Nuts.com and am SO happy with their product and lightning-fast shipping! Great product and awesome customer service. And lots of great products besides the flours.
If I wanted to cut some of the maple syrup down would I need to substitute anything else?
The texture might be a little bit drier, but no, it should be fine. For the first test batch of this recipe, I used half the amount of maple that’s in this final version. I definitely thought it needed to be sweeter, but the texture wasn’t all that different. It does seem like a lot of maple, but it was barely sweet at all with 1/2 cup, and I prefer my baked goods to be on the low end of sweet! I think a happy medium would be 3/4C- let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Is there anything i can use instead of arrowroot powder?
You could try tapioca. I can’t promise it will turn out the same, b/c I haven’t done it for this recipe but it’s the closest thing to arrowroot texture wise.
Bacon Jam?? Really?? OMG I have to make that!!! My husband loves bacon..he says bacon makes everything better..lol
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Found you via Shirley’s All Gluten Free Desserts….newest follower! Many a paleo cakes/muffinsI have simply not attempted because of all the eggs…they taste more like custard to me!
Oh my heart… oh my. Oh yes. Your recipes make me want to get up and cook RIGHT NOW, despite all the work I should be doing instead. And lack of eggs in the fridge. And no chocolate. I better get on that!
Sorry that I’m not helping your motivation, but I absolutely love that my recipes make you want to get in the kitchen. That’s awesome! I hope you get the ingredients you need to make something fabulous.
I’m new to Paleo and love to cook but most of all LOVE choc cake. It’s so awesome to find your recipe and I love that you bring choc cake goodness hope to Paleo peeps! Thanks!
I made this cake for my birthday and it was delicious!!!! Definitely will make it again for other special occasions!
I’m so glad! Happy belated!
Thanks for the flour recommendation. I have one more question. Do you think this cake could be made a day ahead? Or parts of it? And how long before serving would you remove from the fridge if you’ve only made it that day versus making it the previous day? I’m doing a multi-course dinner and like to get as much done in advance as possible, but of course want the cake to taste fresh and not be cold. Thanks! I’m so excited to make this!
I have made it ahead, and it works just fine. A couple things to consider: The ganache gets quite hard in the fridge, but should be soft after 2 or so hours out. It stays somewhat firm, which makes it quite decadent. The filling should hold up fine for a few hours out of the fridge, so no worries there. 2-3 hours at room temp before you serve it is probably about perfect. If you’re concerned with the different components, this cake is also lovely made in a single layer and served with fresh whipped cream and berries, or just the ganache. I served it recently at a multi course dinner as a simple square on the plate with coconut whipped cream on the side and candied bacon dust sprinkled over it. It was a hit!
Great, thank you! I’m planning to serve it with with maple bacon coconut ice cream so depending on how much time I have, I may halve the recipe and do a single layer with just the ganache. But, that just seems wrong. Especially because this is my chance to show my non-paleo friends how great paleo eating can be.
omg that ice cream sounds amazing! And good chocolate cake is THE perfect way to show your friends how incredible paleo eating can be! Let me know how it all goes with your party!
I did a little talk at my church about why I went Paleo, and I made this cake to share after the talk to convince people Paleo can be delicious. The cake was a huge hit, everyone loved it and couldn’t believe there were no grains. The chocolate flavor was nice and strong, just how I like it. This will be my go to party cake from now on. Thanks so much for sharing with us!
The verdict is in. This cake is amazing and no one will ever know it’s paleo! I blogged about the results (with photos) here: http://balancedbitesbalancedlife.blogspot.com/2013/03/paleo-dinner-club.html.
Also got a request for your bacon jam recipe.
I made this cake tonight for my husband’s birthday. He is a chocolate fanatic and was sad that he wouldn’t get a chocolate birthday cake this year, since we went paleo a few weeks ago. Well, this cake was DELICIOUS and easy to make. We both loved it. As others have said, no one would ever be able to tell that it’s paleo. It was so rich and tasty. We couldn’t even eat much of it because of how rich it was. So, there will be plenty leftover for dessert tomorrow night. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe!
Yay! Comments like this make me so happy. I’m so glad you and your husband loved it!
I just wanted to brag on this cake! I made it today in a hurry for my husband’s bday. It was AWESOME and sooo easy! I even doubled the recipe to fill two 9 in pans. Everyone loved it! They didn’t even know it was paleo. I want to try it next time as cup cakes so my kids continue to think I’m cool! I chose this recipe because you combined the flours. What a treat! Thanks for making my day! I happily shared it w all my fb friends!!
Hooray! Thanks, Melissa, I’m so glad the cake worked out and made your family happy!
Hi do you think this would work with rice malt syrup instead of half or all of the maple syrup?
I think so because the consistency is similar… Should keep the texture about the same. Let me know how it turns out!
I made this for my girlfriend’s birthday yesterday…I used Strauss cream for the filling and Enjoy Life chips for the ganache…I didn’t have any other chocolate. Omg…it is absolutely unbelievably delicious. The non-Paleos even thought it was the best cake they’d ever had. Thank you SO much for being so generous with this recipe.
Hi, Im making this cake right now! Im really excited. I plan on serving it for my dads birthday. I wanted to make the cake now cause im worried wont have enough time the day of, to do it. If i put the cake portion in the freezer for 3 days then take it out and once its room temp do up the frosting and serve it that day / the next day, do you think the cake would still be fresh? or is it a bad idea to bake it now…
FYI, I refrigerated mine and felt the cake was better before I did, but I suspect freezing might not have the same effect, especially if you let them cool completely then wrap really well. I’m no expert though.
i ended up freezing it fully cooled after i frosted it, although i usedmy own frosting recipe. im hoping this way it will keep fresher once it comes out of the freezer and it wont by dry and cold… but i hope i didnt ruin it by making it 3 days ahead. eek!
I actually like it after it’s been refrigerated… As long as you wrap it tightly, the texture should still be great! I’m not sure about freezing, I haven’t tried it yet.
Thanks, we’ll see how it goes! I used a different frosting than this recipe so I guess there isnt much way to tell. I think it should be okay. The cake I made was this chocolate cake (two layers cut in half) with vanilla oreo frosting and crushed oreos on top for garnish.. the vanilla frosting recipe came from Paleo Indulgences book but I processed some gluten free oreos into crumbs and folded them into the frosting. i froze it cause i didnt want to let the crumbs get soggy and ive been checking on it and theyre still crunchy and fresh, so i ~think itll be okay! haha
I just made this tonight and it turned out great! thanks so much for the recipe.
I used Enjoy Life chocolate, but once it melted it quickly turned into a thick paste. Did that happen to you?
Also, how would you recommend storing left overs? In a previous comment you said to refrigerate it if you were to make it ahead of time, and that you should take it out about 2 hours before serving. But two hours seems like a lot of time to wait before eating a left over slice
Ive melted enjoy life chocolate lots of times before and it shouldnt turn into a thick paste, it should melt like regular chocolate…maybe your chocolate seized ?
I use very thick pans that hold heat for a long time, so even though I used all Enjoy Life chips, it took a really long time to come down in temp for me to put it on the cake. I don’t use a double broiler either…just VERY carefully and slowly melt the chips on the stove. I never did put it in the fridge and we had leftovers for two days after…
I agree with Caiti Jayne that your chocolate may have seized up. It’s happened to me, I think it might have something to do with water getting into your chocolate. Just one drop will do it!
If the cake is filled with the chocolate whipped cream, you should refrigerate it. And feel free to eat it straight out of the fridge. I recommend letting it get to room temp if you’re serving it to guests, but as far as leftovers go, it’s delicious cold!
I made this for a dinner club this past weekend and everyone LOVED it. They couldn’t believe it was Paleo. It was seriously soooo good! Thanks for the great recipe!
This was delicious!! I have made it twice in the last week. I made the chocolate cake and served it with whipped honey and strawberries. I blogged about the cake here: http://oremland.blogspot.com/2013/03/paleo-chocolate-cake.html Paleo and Non Paleo friends alike loved it!
Yum! That whipped honey looks and sounds incredible, I’m going to have to try it. I’m so glad you loved the cake, and thanks for sharing it on your blog!
Searched high and low for a recipe that would be worth the splurge on my birthday, and this did not disappoint!! My non paleo friends were sold! Thank you!!
Just coming back to write an update or how the cake fared being frozen for 5 days, frosted and all. It turned out perfectly fine! it was a major hit and I would make this cake over and over again for any upcoming birthday that requires a chocolate cake. My dad loved his oreo cake so much and although it would have been EVEN MORE perfect if it had been eaten the day it was made, it still was pretty great frozen and nothing happened to it.
That is great to know, Caiti, thanks for coming back to report! I’m glad it helped make a birthday happy!
Thanks for the great looking recipe! Would it be ok if I used regular round pans instead of spring form pans to bake it in?
It should work just fine, just make sure they’re greased so the cake doesn’t stick. I find it pulls away from the sides a bit when it bakes, so it shouldn’t be a problem. I prefer spring form because I have some pretty serious removing-cake-from-pan anxiety
Was your batter very thick? My cake is in the oven I hope it turns out
I wouldn’t say very thick, somewhere in the middle… How’d it turn out?
Omg!!! I just made this today for my family and my husband loved it (so did everyone else). I used two layer cake pan rounds and baked for 18 minutes. Perfect….I had to redo the whipped cream filling though because the instructions didn’t say when to add the vanilla….so I added it to the coconut cream before whipping and it curdled. Thankfully I had another can of coconut cream (Trader Joes full fat coconut cream). This time I left out the vanilla entirely. It was heavenly…what can be better than chocolatey whipped cream???!?! Then while making the ganache I think next time I will try with half the amount of coconut oil. It was quite runny but turned out delicious regardless. I sprinkled some unsweetened coconut flakes on top…yummy!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It will be a favorite go to at my house!!!!
Thanks Anna! I love the addition of coconut flakes, sounds yummy. In regards to the whipped cream curdling, I’ve added the vanilla at the beginning with good results, but I use the cream that settles at the top of the can of coconut milk (unshaken) I think that might be different than the coconut cream from Trader Joe’s, which might have other ingredients added to it? Either way, I’m glad it turned out the second time, but sorry about the wasted ingredients
The ganache could definitely thicken quicker with less coconut oil added, but I think it’s also what helps it solidify into almost a candy like consistency when it’s cold, which I love… Let me know how it turns out if you try it again with less!
My chickens eat bugs, worms, and I have witnessed them eat a field mouse whole, when one was lucky enough to catch one.
Regarding the search for healthy eggs, I have started ordering pastured eggs from Tropical Traditions. They are the only soy-free eggs I’ve been able to find, and they are supplemented with feed made from coconut–which, I believe, only adds to their healthy qualities. I usually wait until they offer free shipping on the eggs, and order 8 doz at once. The price is comparable to what pastured eggs cost in my area… They are packaged in such a way that I have only ever had ONE egg arrive cracked.
Thank you for the info! I can’t believe how hard it is to find pastured eggs where I live…near Santa Cruz in CA. Some of the farmer’s markets have them, but I’m not sure how “legit” they are…and for the price, I don’t want to take any chances. Simone, if you know of a poultry source in the area, I’d love to know about it…
I’m surprised there aren’t more pastured eggs in that area! I will ask my veggie farmers if they know of any legit sources, they’re in your neck of the woods. I’ll let you know…
Made this tonight for my son to see if he would like it for his birthday. It was a huge hit. We are new to this way of cooking and I was glad to find something the kids and I really enjoy.
So glad to hear it, Mandy! Happy birthday to your son
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I saw this come across Facebook today and decided to make it with my girls as a treat for watching Food Inc with me. LOL Trying to have a teaching moment and the movie was not something they wanted to watch, BUT this cake made it all worth it! Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Do you think this will sit out on the counter covered for a few days or because of the cream, I should put it in the fridge? Also, I used two nine in pans and it didn’t rise very much, but the brownie texture was delicious. I probably should have cooked them a little less or put all the batter in one pan and then cut the cake in half?
Thank you so much! HUGE hit!
So glad you and the girls loved it! I would store this cake in the fridge, due to the cream. It’s good cold, but you can always let it come to room temperature if you like it better that way. I suggest walking away if you do…
LOL, I trid to walk away, but the effort is futile.
We ate it in less than 24 hours and they are begging me to make it again! Thanks for the tips. I did store it in the fridge and we took out slices an hour before dessert time, which unfortunately, was all day!
I’m thinking I’d like to use this recipe to make cupcakes. Have you tried it for that?
Yes! This recipe makes great cupcakes. I wish I could tell you exactly how many though! For regular sized cupcakes, I would bake them for about 15 minutes. Maybe check them after 12? I think somewhere in the comments is a report from someone who made cupcakes and noted the cooking time…
Thank you! I’ll look for that
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I loved this recipe and have taken the frosting idea to use with my orange and almond cake – to which I have added cocoa powder thanks for the inspiration
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I baked this cake yesterday for my birthday ad everyone loved it!
hooray! So glad to hear it Barb!
Just wanted to say thank you for this cake recipe. I just made it this morning before work but instead of the whole cake (icing and all) I just made the cake portion and put it into a Jumbo muffin tin – I greased the tin with lard and lined the bottoms with cut parchment paper circles. I baked at the recommended 350 for 25 min. I would have made the actual cake as directed – but it was for my darling daughters first birthday and i wanted her to devour her own little cake
My supper guests all loved it and couldn’t believe it was gluten and dairy free but most importantly both my daughters LOVED it. Thank you again for making our memories of this event tasty
We made this recipe and immediately became your fans. My daughter says this recipe should be called “No joke, this the the best Chocolate Cake Ever” instead. I pinned it on Pinterest and posted it on my facebook. Thanks
Hah! That’s sort of what I wanted to call it, but didn’t want to sound too arrogant
So glad you liked it, and thanks for stopping by!