The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (with a secret healthy ingredient)

Who doesn’t love chocolate cake? Moist, dense, rich…and healthy too! We’re bringing this top Google-searched recipe post back FOR YOU – just in time for Valentine’s Day. We first shared it when my sister tweaked it for my 30th birthday last year. We swear it’s the best chocolate cake ever. It’s oddly healthy, with a primary, secret ingredient being a vegetable – a total “Steph” kind of concoction.

What is it? You’ll just have to see…

BUT FIRST, Choosing the right sweetener

My sis knows me well. I’m choosy about my homemade dessert ingredients, preferring natural, unrefined sugar (whenever possible); less flour-focused recipes; and oils or butter with very little processing (i.e. – no canola or vegetable oil please). So after digging around on the web, she found a funky chocolate cake recipe by a healthy dessert blogger, Chocolate Covered Katie. Yum!

Since my pantry only has coconut sugar, raw honey, or maple syrup, we had to make a few adjustments.

Instead of using xylitol (a sugar alcohol derived from plants) or stevia (a sweet leaf that’s often ground and processed), we used coconut sugar (which derives from the cut flower of a coconut palm tree).

The biggest secret ingredient

The most surprising “healthy” ingredient of the whole concoction is…cauliflower. Wha..what? Yes! The crunchy veggie that’s in the same family as broccoli! It’s a triple-whammy vegetable:

• full of vitamins
• loaded with fiber to aid in digestion
• AND it’s high in antioxidants

The original creator of this recipe (Katie) was a genius to put this in for added nutrients, moisture, and fiber. Read the instructions below carefully.

Extra bonus healthy points

The rest of the recipe calls for pretty straight forward ingredients, but combining them into the best chocolate cake recipe may seem kind of odd. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Spelt flour – An ancient grain cousin to wheat that is slightly more nutrient dense AND does not seem to cause as much sensitivities and irritation to the gut lining (like other wheat flours do).
• Dark chocolate – Look for the darkest possible.
• Almond milk – A great dairy-alternative to those with dairy sensitivities
• Coconut oil – A must-have pantry staple that works well in high-heat temperature cooking
• Natural peanut butter – a real nut butter with nothing but peanuts
• Cacao Powder – A simple way to add the dark chocolate fix without the sugar. Btw, it’s not hot cocoa mix – just plain, baking cacao (aka – cocoa) powder.

You are a big deal

This recipe that I’m coining as the best chocolate cake ever, is truly a symbol of my life – made with love, full of oddly complementary ingredients, real, risky, and surprisingly satisfying.

We’ve never been one to celebrate “big” on birthdays (or Valentine’s Day), mostly because every day we’re blessed to just be here, ya know. BUT as I get older, I remember the small and wonderful traditions that my mom passed down to us (even during her busiest days). Notes in lunch boxes. Heart-printed, matching pajama pants and a sweet “love” note on Valentine’s day, or even flowers by our bed side before we’d wake up on our birthday.

She reminds me that creating traditions are important and that it’s ok to set time aside to make them happen.

Throughout the last 365 days, our whole fam has made it a point to take a moment and celebrate (whatever the occasion). Big party? No. Fancy restaurant? Eh. A simple, stress-free, healthy home cooked dinner with family and without the computer. Perfect! Kicking it off with my big 3-0 birthday…Graham BBQ’d, my sis and I cooked, and my cousin moved the couch and set up a beautiful blanket with candles in the middle of the living room floor. It was momentous!

So from us to you, don’t forget to make yourself a big deal. It’s not about being the center of attention, but rather a moment to truly celebrate all that you are grateful for – including your health. Enjoy my sister’s rendition of Katie’s best chocolate cake ever.

Best Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

¾ cup spelt flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
½ cup coconut sugar
¾ cup dark chocolate chips (very important)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 loosely-packed cups frozen cauliflower, thawed completely and brought to room temperature. The cauliflower is raw, not cooked. (NOTE: Chocolate Covered Katie says she tried subbing the cauliflower for 1 cup of cooked pumpkin if the cauliflower is too weird)
½ cup almond milk
3 tbsp coconut oil
½ cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting (below)

Original recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie

Steps 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9” round baking pan (preferably with a removable bottom). Chocolate Covered Katie used a 8×8 square baking dish.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.
4. Combine all liquid ingredients and the cauliflower in a food processor and blend until super-smooth, so there are NO lumps whatsoever.
5. Pour wet into dry, and mix until just combined, then pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Let cool completely before frosting. Serve and enjoy. If there are any leftovers, be sure to keep it in the refrigerator. (NOTE: I noticed that the cauliflower flavor wasn’t noticeable the same day my sister baked it, BUT the next day leftovers did have a hint of a cauliflower node).

Serves ~ 8-10 slices

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

¼ cup homemade peanut butter (or other nut butter)
6 teaspoons real maple syrup (sorry Aunt Jemima)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 teaspoons almond milk (or other milk)
¾ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Original recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie

Steps 

1. Blend everything in a small food processor.
2. Store extras in a sealed jar, in the refrigerator.

Yields ~ ½ cup