Chocolate Fudge Cake

Who doesn't love cake?

Scratch that. 

Who doesn't love cake that tastes delicious AND is healthy enough to eat for breakfast? And did I mention that it's chocolate fudge cake?

With the birthday of a special friend coming up, I thought I'd give it go creating a chocolate cake that not only tastes good, but is also kind to your body and the planet. And this fudgy, gooey cake surpassed even my own expectations. Thanks to a special no-so-secret ingredient, it's perfectly moist with zero need for oil, and packed with fibre, vitamin A and C, manganese and more, even adding to your daily servings of veggies! It's also free of refined-sugar and can easily be made gluten free too.

Vanilla bean coconut yoghurt together with fresh fruit (my top pick will always be fresh berries!) complements the cake perfectly with a balance of creaminess and freshness. So, whether you have a birthday coming up, or just because you deserve a piece of cake (or three), this cake is perfect for anyone and everyone!

Don't forget to tag me on Instagram if you give this recipe a go, I'd love to see your creation! x

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweet potato, cooked & mashed (around 200g)
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup (200g) flour of your choice (see notes)
• 1/3 cup cacao or carob powder
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp bicarb soda
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar (optional, see notes)
• optional: 1/4 cup vegan choc-chips
• for decorating: 2/3 cup vanilla coconut yoghurt, fresh fruit

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a cake tin with baking paper
2. In a blender or food processor, blend together the sweet potato, apple sauce, vinegar, molasses, vanilla and almond milk to make a smooth puree
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cacao in a bowl, then gently fold in the puree mixture (and choc-chips, if using), being careful not to over mix!
4. Pour the batter into your cake tin and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes 
5. Remove your cake from the tin and allow to cool completely before layering on the coconut yogurt and fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Store this cake covered in the fridge for a couple of days, however if decorated it's best eaten straight away as the coconut yoghurt tends to not look so pretty anymore after a few hours!
• I used orange sweet potato
• Flours that work well for this recipe are spelt, brown rice, buckwheat, wholemeal, and oat. I used a mix of brown rice and buckwheat flours (made by blending the grains in a high powered blender until a fine flour forms!)
• I find this cake to be sweet enough without the coconut sugar, but feel free to add it if you prefer a sweeter cake! You can also substitute it for 1/2 cup pitted dates, added at step 2