Gluten-free chocolate cake is delicious enough, but when topped with coconut-chocolate ganache, this decadent gluten-free cake becomes a dairy-free dessert recipe, too!
You are in for a real treat today! Look at this delicious Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Chocolate Ganache that Julia from The Roasted Root made for us. This looks so delicious. My mouth was watering when I was looking through her pictures.
Not only is this cake a treat, having Julia from The Roasted Root here today is a treat! Julia’s site is just beautiful and she shares so many wholesome, healthy recipes that are mostly gluten free that are on my list to make. A few of my favorites of hers are her Mango Cashew Chicken, Thai Salad with Curry Coconut Dressing (I love that dressing!), Thai Chicken Soup, Gluten Free Hazelnut Pancakes with Coconut Cream and her long list of seriously yummy smoothies!
Stop by and check out all of her wonderful recipes! I know you will fall in love with her blog as much as I have. Welcome, Julia!
Hello there, Cedar Spooners! I’m Julia from The Roasted Root. What? TWO Julia’s in the house?! What a treat! When Julia asked me to guest post on her lovely site, I was thrilled at the opportunity. I love the healthful food she makes – the girl’s got taste!
Like Julia, I’m all about healthful recipes. I prepare primarily vegetable and meat based meals, and when I bake, it’s always gluten-free recipes. Last week, in preparation for Easter, I baked up this gluten-free chocolate cake (it’s paleo, too!), made with almond meal. I love using almond meal in my gluten-free goods because it adds protein, has a naturally sweet, nutty flavor, and I enjoy the texture.
I topped the cake with coconut-chocolate ganache using full-fat canned coconut milk. While the ganache isn’t refined sugar-free (which means it isn’t paleo), it is dairy free and for that reason, I consider it on the healthy end of the ganache spectrum. I love making sweet sauces using coconut milk in place of dairy, and I figure dark chocolate is a required vitamin in life, so the way I see it, this cake is nothing but great for you! I can have my cake and eat it to? Don’t mind if I do!
If you’re new to gluten-free baking, there’s no need to be intimidated! Also, if you’ve never made ganache, the one in this recipe couldn’t be easier. All things said and done, this cake is healthier than the average slice, easy to bake, and absolutely delicious. Whatever you do, don’t skip out on the coconut-chocolate ganache! It gives a smooth, silky texture to the cake and also adds an immense amount of deep, rich chocolaty flavor!
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Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
For the Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake:
- 2.5 cups almond meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 2/3 cup raw cacao powder*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
For the Coconut-Chocolate Ganache
- 2/3 cup full fat canned coconut milk
- 1.5 cups dark chocolate chips
- Whole raw unsalted pecans for serving, optional
- *You can replace the raw cacao powder with unsweetened cocoa powder, but the flavor will be slightly different.
Instructions
To Bake the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil a 9” cake pan
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the almond meal, baking powder, instant coffee granules, cacao powder, and salt (the dry ingredients).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract (the wet ingredients).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the oiled cake pan and place it on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake tests clean.
- Allow the cake to cool at least 1 hour before turning it out onto a cutting board and spreading the ganache over it.
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. The ganache will set up in the refrigerator and make the cake easy and mess-free to serve.
To Prepare the Ganache:
- While the cake is baking, prepare the coconut-chocolate ganache
- Pour the chocolate chips into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan until just below a boil.
- Pour the hot coconut milk into the bowl with the chocolate chips and stir until completely smooth and the chocolate chips have melted.
- Place in the refrigerator while the cake finishes baking. This will allow the ganache to thicken. Every few minutes, stir the ganache to make sure the consistency stays uniform.
I followed the directions and the cake looked very much like the picture but it was very dry. i even undercooked it a bit because I like a moist, rich cake. it just crumbled apart. I wonder if adding ghee to the recipe would help it to be more moist. The frosting was good . I had high hopes and will try it again if I can figure out how to make it moister.
Oh no I am so sorry!! This recipe is from a guest blogger. I can reach out to her to see if she has any tips for you.
Hi, how long does this cake keep? As in, if you make it a day or two ahead of the meal you want to serve it at, will it still taste right?
I will find out! This was a guest post by another blogger–stay tuned!
Hi Fi! The cake will keep up to 5 days so long as you keep it in a sealed container in the refrigerator! I don’t see any issue with making it a day or two before serving it – in fact, I often find cake tastes better the next day anyway 😉 Let us know how you like it!
Is the instant coffee for flavor? Would it throw the recipe off to leave it out?
Hi Colleen, yes, the instant coffee is to add a little more depth of flavor, but you can definitely leave it out 🙂