Healthy Chocolate Mocha Cake

Healthy chocolate mocha cake? Say what? Can a decadent chocolate mocha cake actually be healthy?

Absolutely!

Most of us are in lockdown with this coronavirus scare. Why not make a healthy chocolate mocha cake to pass the time? It’s a good idea, right? And cooking with kids while you’re sequestered at home helps them have a lifelong love of cooking and of healthy food. Plus it’s also a great way to bond.

I made this cake for my husband’s 51st birthday and the guests at our party raved about it. It’s sweetened with apple and dates and has a fraction of the sugar of regular (aka unhealthy) chocolate cake. This cake also contains healthier flours as well. I use sprouted wheat flour and whole spelt flour. You can experiment with other flours. Almond flour and coconut flour both work well for this healthy chocolate mocha cake. Mix and match and decide what your family likes best.

This recipe for healthy chocolate mocha cake is adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts. One of my all-time favorite cookbooks. If you don’t own a copy, it’s well worth the investment.

This is a big, rich, delicious very chocolate-y cake that easily serves a dozen people.

Ingredients: Healthy Chocolate Mocha Cake

1 cup strong organic coffee
5 whole dates, pitted

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (or date or coconut sugar if you prefer)
1 cup sprouted whole wheat flour
3/4 cup whole spelt flour (see note above about combining other flours. Use any of the following to make 1 3/4 cups: coconut flour, white wheat flour, brown rice flour, almond flour, barley flour, oat flour, rolled oats. Have fun experimenting with what you like best.)
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 scant teaspoon salt

1 small red apple shredded
1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey (or combination of both)
1/2 cup olive or coconut oil
1 scant cup plain whole milk yogurt or buttermilk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Recipe: Healthy Chocolate Mocha Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter or oil a 9 X 13 inch cake pan or 2 9-inch round pans

Step 1: Brew the coffee. Add the five pitted dates to the hot coffee. Leftover coffee works fine too! Set aside.

Step 2: Using a food processor with an S-shaped blade, combine the cocoa powder, turbinado sugar, flour(s), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse several times into well blended. Transfer to a large bowl.

Step 3: Using the same food processor with an S-shaped blade or a grater, shred the apple. Then add the eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, and yogurt. Make sure it is well blended. Make sure the coffee and dates are room temperature and add them as well, along with the vanilla. Process until the mixture is smooth.

Step 4: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use the food processor to blend until smooth. Make sure the dates are completely integrated. You will now have a darkly colored pourable batter.

Step 5: Transfer batter to the greased cake pan or pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes. The cooking time may vary, depending on how liquid-y the batter is and the type of flour you used. The cake is done when you insert a piece of uncooked spaghetti or a butter knife into the center and it comes out clean. This is a thick, rich, pudding-like cake.

What about frosting?

I always make homemade frosting. I mix equal parts softened organic butter with room temperature organic cream cheese and then add organic powdered white sugar to the desired consistency, plus 1 teaspoon of vanilla. If the frosting is a little too thick, I’ll add some yogurt water or a splash of milk. Easiest homemade frosting in the world and you can use the same food processor to make it.

Or, if you want to get fancy, you can frost this cake with German chocolate cake frosting, which is a sugar, milk, egg yolk, butter  frosting that’s cooked for about 15 minutes on the stove, then removed from the heat. While it’s still hot you add vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Then you slather it on the cake while the frosting is still warm. Find your favorite German chocolate cake frosting recipe on-line or follow the above directions with 2/3 cup of turbinado sugar, 2/3 cup of evaporated milk, 2 egg yolks (we like to use duck eggs), 1/3 cup of butter, 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract, 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons shredded coconut flakes, toasted, and 1 cup of chopped pecans, toasted.

What else is there to cook around here?

Warm Brownies (Healthy) on a Cold Night
Agave-Sweetened Orange Cake Made With a Whole Orange
Norwegian Flat Bread (Quick and Easy and Oh-So-Yum!)

Want some coffee with your delicious healthy chocolate mocha cake? Right now you can’t sit down at any of these cafés, but here are the best places in Ashland, Oregon to enjoy a cuppa Joe to go.

About Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D.

Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D., is an investigative journalist, book author, and Fulbright awardee. She is the author of Your Baby, Your Way: Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Parenting Decisions for a Happier, Healthier Family, co-author (with Paul Thomas, M.D.) of The Vaccine-Friendly Plan, and The Addiction Spectrum: A Compassionate, Holistic Approach to Recovery. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.