Raw Chocolate Layer Cake...Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, and Guilt Free!

Even the biggest veggie-thumping, wheat grass-slurping health nuts need a little treat now and then. And as much of a veggie monster as I am…I have a pretty big sweet tooth. I had a birthday party to attend yesterday, and none of my regular, humble sweet treats would do...so I created a special layer cake that was a heck of a lot simpler, and way better for you than a traditional birthday cake…plus it was wheat, gluten, dairy and egg free! A great one to make if you know someone with an allergy, or just want a better-for-you indulgence.

Don’t get me wrong…this bad boy still does some hefty caloric damage, and has plenty of fat…but it is also packed with good stuff, like nuts, cocoa, and coconut butter, so it delivers a nutritional punch that will knock out your sweet tooth!

I made mine in layers, upside down in a round container with the bottom perpendicular to the sides. A very small sauce pan would also work…you just don’t want something more than 5 or 6 inches in diameter.

For this fabulous cake, first make your “batter”:

CHOCOLATE LAYER:

1 ½ cup walnuts

1 cup medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped

¼ cup raw cocoa powder [Full disclosure: The health food store has been out of raw cocoa for weeks, and they don’t have carob either, so I used natural, unsweetened cocoa NOT processed with alkali…the alkalization process is sometimes referred to as “dutched.” So, best to use raw, but if you can’t, don’t get alkalized cocoa.]

Pinch of salt

Process in food processor until thoroughly mixed into tiny crumbs

COCONUT LAYER:

½ cup walnuts

½ cup shredded coconut

¼ cup coconut butter

2 tablespoons agave nectar

Process till smooth

GANACHE LAYER/FROSTING:

½ cup coconut butter

1 cup cocoa powder

½ cup agave nectar

Pinch salt

Dash vanilla extract

Process til smooth…this may make your food processor a little cranky

Lay a big sheet of plastic wrap over the container in which you’ll build your cake, and press into sides of container (so that when you invert it later, your cake will just slide right out, with just a little tug of the plastic)

Press into the mold…I used ½ of the chocolate crumb layer – press the layers really well! – then the entire coconut layer, then 1/3 of the ganache, then the rest of the chocolate layer. I let my set up in the fridge for about an hour before I did the ganache frosting, and then gently inverted it onto the serving plate (do like Martha Stewart and put about a teaspoon of your ganache on the plate first to keep the cake from sliding around). Leave the ganache out at room temp until you are ready to frost the cake. To make the frosting layer, put the remaining ganache blob between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment on a big surface, and press/roll out to a diameter that will cover the entire top and side of the cake. Flip on top of the cake, and press lightly down, then trim any extra at the bottom. Serve chilled or at room temp…sooooooooo good.

Raw appétit!