Ingredients
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FOR THE CAKE
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260gr wholemeal spelt flour
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50gr dark cocoa powder
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2 tsp baking powder
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1 tsp aluminum free baking soda
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1/4 tsp sea salt
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1/3 tsp vanilla bean powder
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300gr pitted datessoaked overnight or in hot water for 30 mins
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1 cup warm filtered water
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1 tsp apple cider vinegar
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80gr melted coconut oilif you use the raw coconut oil your cake will have a subtle taste of coconut
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FOR THE SYRUP
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2 tsp agave syrup
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2 tsp warm water
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FOR THE VANILLA CREAM FILLING
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200gr almond butter
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200gr agave syrup
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60gr melted odourless coconut oil
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1 tsp vanilla bean powder
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1/5 tsp sea salt
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FOR THE ICING
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100gr melted odourless coconut oil
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30gr almond butter
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220gr agave syrup
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50gr dark cocoa powder
Chocolate birthday cakes must be your favorites! These last few days, everybody’s asking me to make them one for their birthday! In this particular chocolate cake though, there is a secret filling… vanilla almond cream! Made from almond butter! It’s very easy to make your own almond butter at home but you can also buy it if you don’t want to make it.
Almonds are a great source of calcium, that’s why many doctors tell their patients to eat 10 almonds a day to prevent osteoporosis. Well, we will prevent osteoporosis eating cake, hahaha!
This particular cake was made for my online friend, Vivian, so this recipe is dedicated to her!
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE |
|
260gr wholemeal spelt flour | |
50gr dark cocoa powder | |
2 tsp baking powder | |
1 tsp aluminum free baking soda | |
1/4 tsp sea salt | |
1/3 tsp vanilla bean powder | |
300gr pitted dates | |
1 cup warm filtered water | |
1 tsp apple cider vinegar | |
80gr melted coconut oil | |
FOR THE SYRUP |
|
2 tsp agave syrup | |
2 tsp warm water | |
FOR THE VANILLA CREAM FILLING |
|
200gr almond butter | |
200gr agave syrup | |
60gr melted odourless coconut oil | |
1 tsp vanilla bean powder | |
1/5 tsp sea salt | |
FOR THE ICING |
|
100gr melted odourless coconut oil | |
30gr almond butter | |
220gr agave syrup | |
50gr dark cocoa powder |
Steps
1
Done
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FOR THE CAKEPreheat your oven at 180℃. |
2
Done
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Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. |
3
Done
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Use your food processor and start by blending the dates and water (bit by bit) until you get an even date paste. |
4
Done
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Continue by adding all the rest of the wet ingredients to the date paste. |
5
Done
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Add all the dry ingredients at the end and blend well. If your mixture is too thick you may add some water. |
6
Done
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Oil the tin before you pour your dough or use parchment paper, I started doing so a while ago, saves you the tin washing! Bake at 180℃ for 30-40 mins. To try and make sure it's ready, dip a knife into your cake, if it comes out clean it's ok, if not bake it for another 5 mins and check again. The baking time may vary depending on the oven. You want it relatively moist because it's for a cake! |
7
Done
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CUTTING THE CAKE INTO TWO OR THREE LAYERSBefore you do this MAKE SURE YOUR CAKE IS COMPLETELY COOL. You can cut it into two or three layers. I personally prefer two layered cakes, but you can do either. Start by cutting a bit on one side with a knife and use a string to cut all the way through. It's the easiest way! |
8
Done
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ADDING THE SYRUPJust mix the agave syrup with the water and use a brush to cover both cake layers with syrup. For the top layer, make sure to turn it over so the syrup will be inside the cake and not on top of it. Otherwise, it won't be easily absorbed and will make it difficult for you to spread the icing on top. |
9
Done
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FOR THE VANILLA CREAM FILLINGPlace the bottom layer of your cake on your serving tray. |
10
Done
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Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Put your cream in the fridge for 5-10 mins, until it gets a little cold and therefore "solid", so much as for you to be able to work with it and spread it, not too hard. |
11
Done
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|
12
Done
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|
13
Done
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FOR THE ICINGMix all ingredients in a bowl and spread evenly around and on top of the cake. Decorate according to your liking! |
Extra Tips
- Adjust the sweetness to your liking.
- For kids’ cakes, you can use their favorite toys to decorate them, like I did for my eldest son, where we used playmobil pirates and a treasure chest! Just make sure to leave some room for the candles!
- Remember to take the cake out of the fridge about an hour prior to cutting it to give some time to the coconut oil to soften a little.