Guilt-Free Decadent Chocolate Cake

Everyone loves a good piece of chocolate, but who actually wants all of the awful unhealthy benefits from the artificial sweeteners like white sugar and white flour?? After making some recent major changes in my lifestyle, I have tried really hard to maintain omitting the two (white sugar & white flour) whenever possible. Obviously, it is not realistic to cut it out completely, but when I ycan make adjustments, I definitely try. It is definitely difficult at times because these two small ingredients are in so many of the things we consume every single day.

Reading the labels on what we consume is a central part in understanding more about your health and what you are putting in your body. You are what you eat!!!! Instead of the “wicked” processed white sugar, I choose natural sweeteners like honey, dates, or agave nectar. Instead of the highly starchy white flour, I try to choose a better alternative like coconut or almond flour! For this recipe, I used honey as my sweetener and boy was it decadent!!

For this recipe, I followed The Vibrant Family’s Blog Post! I made a few adjustments and used my own frosting recipe.

Here is the full recipe for the cake: 

*Makes ONE 9″ Layer Cake

Ingredients:

• 1-19 oz can of unseasoned black beans
•  5 large eggs (or for vegan use an egg substitute, like applesauce & flax seeds)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
• 5-8 tablespoons honey
• 4-6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Strain & rinse the can of unsalted black beans.
2. Blend the black beans with 3 eggs (or your egg substitute) and 1 tbsp vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda with some unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used a few tablespoons (4-6) until it was the right consistency) and a dash or two of some Himalayan pink salt.
4. Mix the dry ingredients with 2 beaten eggs (or your egg substitute) and 5-8 tablespoons of honey.
5. Take a measuring cup and add in about 5 tablespoons of coconut oil and microwave until melted fully. Mix together thoroughly with the above batter mixture. Add in the blended bean mixture and mix it all together until smooth.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting Recipe: 

*For this cake I made a basic chocolate ganache to top it.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
8 oz dark chocolate chips (I use a dairy-free brand from Whole Foods Market)