(Paleo) Flourless Chocolate Cake

October 1, 2013

(Paleo) Flourless Chocolate Cake



OK guys, I think I just found my new fave sweetener: raw coconut palm sugar.
We all know that white sugar is empty calories with no nutritional value whatsoever; meaning it doesn't have vitamins and/or nutrients, just calories.
So what about replacing it with a nutrient-rich, low-glycemic crystalline sweetener that looks, tastes, and melts almost exactly like sugar, but it’s completely natural and unrefined?
Yep, that’s raw coconut palm sugar.
Raw coconut palm sugar is acquired from the flowers growing on coconut trees. The nectar of the flowers is collected and air-dried to form a crystalline sugar, dark brown in color.
It’s rich in potassium, zinc, iron and B vitamins. There’s quite a lot to it!

Raw Coconut Palm Sugar

Raw coconut palm sugar is never refined or bleached like white sugar, that’s why all the nutrients of the flower are still there.
However, most of the “palm sugar” commonly sold in Asian markets is not raw coconut palm sugar but it’s often blended with other fillers such as white cane sugar.
I found pure raw coconut palm sugar at Whole Foods; I also looked for it at Trader Joe’s but one of the clerks told me that they didn’t carried it yet. Another option is to buy it online, some of the brands I like are Madhava and Nutiva, but I guess others are just as good.
The thing I like most about raw coconut palm sugar is that it’s not too sweet, but gives a great flavor.
On top of that it passes the paleo test (hurray!) and it’s low glycemic index makes it also a suitable option for people with diabetes. Win, win, win.
(Paleo) Flourless Chocolate Cake



Now, let’s talk about flourless chocolate cake.
Being an hardcore chocolate lover, I love flourless chocolate cakes.
When you take flour out of the equation, you get a much denser and richer result with an intense chocolate flavor.
It has nothing to do with the gluten-free diet (well, that’s more like a bonus), flourless chocolate cake is pure chocolate flavor awesomeness.

(Paleo) Flourless Chocolate Cake



I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart’s latest cookbook “Martha Stewart's Cakes: Our First-Ever Book of Bundts, Loaves, Layers, Coffee Cakes, and more”. I subbed the sugar for raw coconut palm sugar, dialed down the espresso powder and used high quality +70% - paleo approved - dark chocolate (Dagoba, to be precise).
What came out of the oven was a very light, not too sweet, intense chocolatey, 100% paleo friendly cake.
If you love chocolate, you need this cake in your life.

(Paleo) Flourless Chocolate Cake

(Paleo) Flourless Chocolate Cake Print this recipe!
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cakes: Our First-Ever Book of Bundts, Loaves, Layers, Coffee Cakes, and more

As mentioned above, this cake has an intense chocolate flavor and it’s not too sweet, which (to me) is the best part. But if you like your cakes sweeter add ¼ cup more of raw coconut palm sugar.

Ingredients
Serves 10

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or coconut oil), plus more for the cake pan
6 oz / 170 gr +70% dark chocolate, chopped
6 large free-range organic eggs, separated
1 cup / 4.5 oz / 120 gr raw coconut palm sugar, divided
2 tablespoons instant-espresso powder
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), place a rack in the middle.
Invert the bottom of 9-inch springform pan and line with a parchment round and butter parchment.
Place butter (or coconut oil) and chopped chocolate in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water (making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove the bowl from over the boiling water, let mixture sit for a few minutes.
In a medium bowl beat together egg yolks and ½ cup of raw coconut palm sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until thick and the sugar has completely dissolved. Add espresso powder and salt; beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and melted-chocolate mixture; beat 1 more minute.
In another large bowl, beat egg whites and a pich of salt on medium-high speed until foamy.
Increase speed to high and gradually add remaining ½ cup cup raw coconut palm sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. The raw coconut palm sugar will dissolve into the egg whites giving them a fantastic brownish/caramel macchiato color.
Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in 3 batches.
Transfer batter to the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until set.
Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Remove side of pan; transfer cake to a serving plate.
I strongly recommend serving glaze alongside cake (using this recipe for paleo chocolate glaze) or topped with a dollop of whipped cream or Greek yogurt.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 221 calories, 13.9 grams of fat, 18.7 of carbs and 5.2 grams of protein.

22 comments:

  1. Can I have a slice Mike? Pleeeeeease....

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  2. raw coconut palm sugar looks a lot like "jaggery" a natural sweetener I grew up with...do you know if they are one and the same?
    This cake looks so amazing! I love flourless chocolate cake!

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    1. I'm familiar with jaggery, they look quite the same but they're different in composition and taste. Raw coconut sugar is less sweet and less sugary and has a richer taste

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    2. Jaggery is made from unrefined cane sugar

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  3. I love flourless chocolate cake, but I'm unfamiliar with coconut palm sugar. You mention that it's not too sweet and gives great flavor - how would you describe the flavor? I'm very curious about this stuff :)

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    1. It doesn't actually taste like coconut, it's more nutty and has an earthy sweetness that's more similar to brown sugar (such as Muscovado) than to standard white sugar.

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  4. sounds amazing. I love flourless choc cakes!

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  5. Your picturessss, they make me so hunrgry. And I love the ingredients. I've always wanted to try Flourless Chocolate Cakes but they are always full of butter/oil and sugar. I need to try this out :)

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  6. Hi Mike
    this looks amazing
    do you have any recommendations for substituting eggs?
    Daniella

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  7. This was incredible, seriously incredible. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. wow good way to get less calories and more taste thanks for sharing!!

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  9. It's in the oven, can't wait to try it

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  10. Looks delicious! I would love to try some. I am loving that dusting on top.

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  11. I know you posted this quite a while ago, but I just wanted to comment on the cake. I made it using decaf instant coffee (nowhere could I find decaf instant espresso) and I find it too mocha-y. It's really almost perfect flourless cake, but my advice would be that if you're using coffee instead of espresso, use only a teaspoon or so and maybe cocoa powder to make up the rest. The texture is divine, it's very chocolatey and not too sweet, but I don't care for the mocha taste that the coffee gives it. Live and learn, I guess.

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  12. how can I replace that coconut palm sugar, please?

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