ALMOND FLOUR CHOCOLATE CAKE – KETO + PALEO

 LIQUID INGREDIENTS

• 4 large Egg at room temperature
• 1/4 cup Coconut oil or melted butter, not hot, lukewarm or room temperature
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cup Almond Flour
• 1/2 cup Erythritol - erythritol or monk fruit stevia blend
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BUTTER FROSTING

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter or dairy-free butter, soft, out of the fridge for 3 hours at least
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Chocolate Stevia Drops - adjust to taste
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk at room temperature, not cold!

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven at 160C (325F). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with coconut oil or butter. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, using an electric beater, beat eggs, melted coconut oil (or butter), unsweetened almond milk, and vanilla together for 45 seconds on medium/high speed or until fluffy and small bubbles form on the top. Set aside.
• In another bowl, stir together the almond flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar-free crystal sweetener and baking powder.
• Pour the egg mixture onto the dry ingredients and use a manual whisk to gently combine the ingredients together and form the chocolate cake batter.
• Transfer the cake batter into the prepared round cake pan and place the pan in the center rack of your oven.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is set and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean but still wet and moist. If it comes out with crumbs on the skewer keep baking but it's better to keep the center slightly moist for the best melt-in-your-mouth cake texture.
• Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer on a cooling rack and wait until it reaches room temperature before frosting.
• Repeat the same recipe to create a second cake layer if desired. Make sure you clean, dry and grease the cake pan again before adding the second cake batter to it.
• CHOCOLATE ALMOND BUTTER FROSTING
• Make the frosting just before frosting the cake to keep it soft and easy to spread. In a large mixing bowl, beat the soft butter along with almond butter, until creamy and smooth.
• Beat in the stevia drops, unsweetened cocoa powder, and almond milk until fluffy and sweet. If your frosting is too dry, this can happen if your almond butter was a bit old/less oily, you can adjust the texture of the frosting by adding 1-4 tablespoon of almond milk at room temperature. Add 1 tablespoon at a time, beat, and stop adding when it reaches your favorite keto frosting texture. The more you add the fluffier and creamier it will be. Taste sweetness and adjust stevia drops to taste!

HOW TO ASSEMBLE A LAYER CAKE?

• Make sure both cake layers are cold before frosting your cake or the frosting will melt. I recommend you wait at least 3 hours after the cake has been baked or place the cake for 1 hour in the fridge for the best results.
• Place one cake layer on a plate, add 1/3 of the fresh frosting in the middle of the cake layer. Spread the frosting from the center to the edge using a flat tool or spatula. Add the second cake layer on top, add 1/3 of the frosting on top of the cake layer, and repeat as before. Use the leftover frosting to spread on the sides of the cake.