Mocha Chocolate Cake with Mocha Buttercream Frosting

This allergy-friendly cake is made without refined ingredients and is a rich indulgence that kills chocolate cravings. While this is an allergy-friendly food, it is not a calorie friendly one. If you want to make a lighter version of this cake, use less oil, and less sugar (replacing with more Truvia). Make a 1/2 batch, (1 9-inch layer), and use a thin layer of frosting (if any). This cake definitely qualified as my weekend baking indulgence (more on that later). Mocha Chocolate Cake Makes 16 servings (9-inch 2-layer cake, or 8-inch 3-layer cake) Whole Grain, Vegan, gluten-free; Free of: dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, yeast, corn, white sugar 1 cup hot brewed coffee (regular or decaf) 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup hot water 1 cup oil * 1 cup unsweetened applesauce 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup Truvia 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or other granulated sweetener) 3 cups brown rice flour 1/3 cup flaxseed meal or ground chia seed 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum * Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2, 9-inch cake pans (or 3, 8-inch cake pans) by spraying the sides with oil and placing a parchment circle in the bottom of each pan. In a bowl, whisk together the coffee, cocoa powder, hot water, applesauce, oil, vanilla, sugar, and the Truvia. Mix well and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Mix well. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into the prepared cake pans and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Remove from the cake pans and let cool completely before frosting. Frost with Mocha Buttercream Frosting (below) or Fudgy Ganache. Enjoy! * This cake is quite dense; reducing the oil in this recipe could yield a lighter cake with fewer calories if you choose * The xanthan gum is entirely optional; I usually find my recipes are more tender and fluffier without it if I use sufficient egg replacer, such as ground flax or chia seed Mocha Buttercream Frosting Makes @ 1-1/2 cups (moderately frosts a 2 layer cake) Paleo (?), Vegan, gluten-free; Free of: dairy, eggs, yeast, soy, corn, white sugar 1/2 cup raw sugar (or raw date or coconut sugar) 1/3 cup Truvia 2 Tablespoons arrowroot starch 1-2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (to taste) 2 teaspoons cocoa powder Dash salt 1/2 cup palm shortening or coconut oil * 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Make your powdered sugar: in a blender or magic bullet, place the raw sugar, Truvia, arrowroot starch, instant coffee, and cocoa powder, and pulse until a fine powder forms. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the palm shortening or coconut oil until creamy. Add in the the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Add vanilla, and beat again until creamy. Use to frost a cake. Store in the fridge. * You can replace some of the palm oil with SunButter or other nutbutter for a “Peanut Butter” flavor frosting. Hmmm… that gives me an idea for my next cake : ) Home-made Powdered Sugar Mocha Buttercream Frosting Recipe adapted from Living Without Magazine