Grain-free, 5-Minute, Spicy Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Orange Sauce

Orange Sugar:

The zest of one medium orange (or a couple small tangerines)

4-6+ T granulated sugar (or evaporated cane juice)

Grind together in a coffee mill or small food processor. The wetness of the zest will make it pasty. If you want it more granular like sugar, add more sugar, but it will dilute the orange flavor some.

Cake:

1 T coconut flour

2 T cocoa powder

4+ T sugar or evaporated cane juice (or sweeten to taste with preferred sweetener)

1/4 t baking powder

pinch salt

1 t cinnamon

pinch cayenne powder (to taste)

Mix dry ingredients well and add:

1 egg

1 T oil (can be omitted if you use high fat milk, or makes a denser moister cake if included)

3 T milk (non-dairy, whole milk, I like half-and-half)

1/2 t vanilla extract

Combine until thoroughly blended. Microwave for three minutes. Tip out of bowl onto plate. Let cool while finishing sauce.

Chocolate Orange Sauce:

2 T cocoa

4 T orange sugar paste (or to taste)

1/4 t cinnamon

optional tiny dusting of cayenne

2 T half-and-half (or 1 T low-fat dairy alternative and 1 T oil)

Melt in tiny saucepan (I used a metal one cup measuring cup) over medium-low heat until glossy and smooth. Pour over cake. Dust with cinnamon.

Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

After some intensive healing work, I was grieving and spent a week eating nothing but popcorn and Coke.  Then I realized it wasn't really making me feel very good and that I might want to think about something a little healthier-for-me.  So I baked up a few batches of these cookie bars and ate only them for several days.

(recipe adapted from Making the World Cuter)

Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/3 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips.  Mix the wet ingredients separately and then add to the dry.  Mix well and the fold in the chocolate chips.

Turn onto parchment paper and cover with another sheet of paper.  Roll to a roughly 8 inch square.  Peel off the top layer of paper.  Cut into 2 inch bars with a sharp knife or pizza cutter (the baked cookies will only be scored from this step but it helps to prevent crumbling when cutting again after baking).  Transfer the parchment paper and cookie bars to a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes.

Alternatively, press the dough into a 8x8inch baking dish.  Or, scoop spoonfuls onto parchment for cookies--press a bit flat because these cookies won't spread out like grain-based cookies.  I'm just lazy and prefer the bars.

Even my "health-food" hating teens gobbled these down.  I blame them for my needing to make so many batches.  I easily doubled this recipe to produce a whole lot of cookies--at least three dozen, maybe four, I forgot to do the math as I was breaking up the bars.

Five-Minute Grain-free Chocolate Cake for One (or Two)

Five Minute Grain-free Chocolate Cake

1 tablespoon coconut flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder 

4 tablespoons coconut sugar (or sweeten to taste with preferred sweetener)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Mix dry ingredients well in a microwave bowl or mug. Then add:

1 tablespoon oil (can use melted butter but it makes the cake tougher. Can also sub applesauce but makes it rubbery)

3 tablespoons full-fat milk (if using dairy substitute, may need more oil. Coconut milk gives best results)

1 egg

Splash of vanilla

Mix well and microwave for 3 minutes. 

While baking, put in a small saucepan:

1/4 cup chocolate chips (can use gluten-free or low carb but may not melt as smoothly)

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or coconut milk

If needed add up to 1 tablespoon oil to create smoother texture. 

Melt over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and glossy. May add flavorings now if desired. 

Tip (and scoop) cake onto plate, pour hot fudge chocolate sauce over the cake, garnish as desired.