Light, not dense, but full of chocolate-ly goodness, this is a health food fanatic’s dream cake, if you like cacao, that is…and who doesn’t need a little chocolate in their life?  This healthy version was inspired by my time guest judging a food TV show where old-fashioned (not good for you) chocolate cake was a finalist!  This is my take on nostalgic chocolate cake…not sure what can get more family friendly for this 4th of July weekend…!

This has been the best way I’ve discovered so far to hide those greens and get them into your loved ones’ bellies!

CAKE INGREDIENTS: (half these ingredients if you are NOT making a double layer cake!)

• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1 cup dutched unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 teaspoons baking soda (not powder!)
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla paste
• 1 cup monkfruit granules
• many dashes Himalayan pink salt
• 3 cups shredded zucchini
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 6 large happy hen eggs, separated
• 1 cup almond mylk
• optional: chocolate chips (2 cups or so depending on if you will use it decorate)

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/4 cup unrefined maple syrup
• 1 cup date paste
• 2 ripe Haas or similar avocados
• several dashes of Himalayan pink salt
• 1/2 Ceylon cinnamon
• 1 can of full fat coconut milk (only the non water portion)
• optional: shotglass portion of instant coffee

LET’S DO THIS!

1. Use food processor to shred zucchini and immerse large Medjool (or favorite) dates in enough water to cover and soak (if you don’t already have date paste)
2. Preheat over at 350 degrees and spray coconut oil around your springform round cake pans
3. squeeze excess water from zucchini — very important so cake is not too mushy
4. put dry ingredients together and sift, but toss in almond flour after sifting rest…mix it all together well
5. Mix wet ingredients : shredded zucchini, egg yolks, almond milk, cider vinegar, and vanilla paste
6. Beat egg whites in a stand mixer until soft frothy peaks form, not until too stiff…. we want bubbly and light, not formed and tough.
7. Focus! Not kidding…
8. Mix dry into wet ingredients… mix together well.  Once well combined, fold in egg whites with with spatula or spoon without delay. Then quickly pour this mixture into your baking pans.  If you walk away and lose focus during this part, the chemical reaction with the apple cider bubbling through the batter will finish and leave you a dud instead of a light and fluffy dream cake.
9. Into the oven and check before popping out in 45 minutes!

WHILE BAKING… work on frosting!

1. put all, except for coconut milk fat, into food processor and keep going until smooth. Add coconut milk fat and keep processing until fully blended and creamylicious.
2. note: save the coconut water from the can for smoothies and just drink it up!  Putting the water in this frosting will make it too runny and not solid enough as frosting.

MARRY THEM!

1. once the two round cakes are cooled, pop them out carefully and frost the center of the cake stand to hold the base layer of cake in place.
2. Mix up the chocolate chips into the middle of the two cakes so there is nice texture to enjoy …and frost everything, decorating to your heart’s content!

EAT, GUILTFREE! This is a winner winner winner! …no one was the wiser and didn’t know the veggies were in the cake… and the texture of the light and fluffy cake is an absolute dream which makes it so amazing with the richness of dutched chocolate in the cake and the cacao kick of the frosting.

You can feel good about gifting this cake to anyone… (on that note, if you making this for a someone with any sweetener sensitivities, powder the monkfruit granules and try that in lieu of maple syrup…

THERE IS LOTS OF LOVE IN THIS CAKE...and it will make your recipient swoon!