If you like chocolate-covered strawberries, you’ll love this gluten-free, grain-free, moist chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting. It is a crowd-pleaser! Its protein and fiber are nice bonuses.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 65 minutes
Yield: serves 12 to 15

✔  kid-tested, mother-approved

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ingredients

cake

  • 2 lbs. strawberries (locally grown or strawberries from your garden are amazing!)
  • 9 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda (not baking powder)
  • 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted (you can substitute with olive, hazelnut, or grapeseed oil)
  • 1 cup of agave syrup or honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia (optional)
  • 1Tbsp. almond or vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

frosting

  • (2) 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 to 1/3 cup agave syrup or honey
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia
  • 1 Tbsp. almond or vanilla extract

optional garnish

  • sprig of mint or blueberries for an extra splash of color

notes

After many years of experimenting, this is my favorite gluten-free, grain-free cake. I use this cake base for many variations. This is one of the most popular and perfect for this time of year! You’ll be amazed at how moist it is and how long it stays fresh.

Preparation is in a single bowl – no need for separate wet and dry bowls to clean up.

If you haven’t tried silicon bakeware, this cake is an opportunity to give it a try with this two-pack of 9″ silicon cake pans. Silicon bakeware is something else I have done a lot of experimenting with over many years. Spending $50 on a single pan does not necessarily mean a better-performing pan! I donated that beautiful muffin pan in favor of less expensive muffin trays from Amazon. With the exception of two baking trays, I have also had great luck with inexpensive silicon bakeware from Aldi.

Keep in mind that silicon bakeware is malleable and not rigid like other cookware.

Place the silicon cake pans on baking sheets before filling them for easy (and safe) movement in and out of the oven.

instructions

  1. Wash and pat dry 2 pounds of strawberries. Set aside to allow to dry completely.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  3. Into a large mixing bowl, add 9 eggs. Add these first, so you can double-check for shell bits – not great in a cake!
  4. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Blend well with mixer. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go through the steps.
  5. Melt coconut oil in microwave-safe container or melt over low heat in a pan. Add to mixture, then add 1 cup of agave syrup or honey. I like to measure the sweetener in the glass measuring cup that was just used for the oil. It helps the sweetener slide right out instead of sticking to the sides.
  6. Add 1/4 teaspoon of liquid stevia (this small amount boosts the sweetness without leaving a trace of bitterness) and 1 Tbsp. of almond or vanilla extract. Which? Personal preference. I am almond extract every time. My husband prefers vanilla. This pure almond extract is my favorite. I went into my order history to find it and chuckled at having purchased it 15 times (some of those double-orders). That’s a lot of extract! Blend well with mixer.
  7. Add 1/2 cup of coconut flour and blend very well with mixer.
  8. Add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and blend well with mixer.
  9. Divide equally into two 9″inch cake pans.
  10. Place in the center of the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes in a convection oven. **Baking times vary greatly by oven model and the weather! Whenever baking, keep an eye on it. You can insert a knife into the center and watch for it to leave just a bit of moisture, no cake batter itself clinging. I prefer the spring test. Remove the cake from the oven and press the center of the cake. it should spring back but not be too firm. If the knife comes out completely clean, not even moisture showing or it is really firm to the touch, it will not be as light or moist as optimal.

the frosting and berries

  • While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting and slice the strawberries.
  • Into a mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese and blend beat well with mixer. Once completely combined and fluffy, add sweetener, cocoa powder, liquid stevia, and extract. Blend well and set aside in the refrigerator.
  • Select 1 to 5 strawberries to leave whole. You can do a single berry in the center or 5 for the center and four points on the outside (or another beautiful pattern). Slice the rest of the strawberries.

Note on the frosting: this is not a firm version of frosting and is moderately sweet. If you want to pipe the frosting, sub out liquid sweetener for 1 cup of powdered sugar. If you are grain-free, you’ll want to find a variety that does not contain cornstarch.

assembling the cake

    • Once the cake has cooled completely, frost the bottom layer, then cover the frosting with a layer of sliced strawberries.
    • Place the second layer of cake on top of that and frost the top layer as well as the sides of the cake.
    • Place your whole strawberry upside-down in the center and fan the sliced strawberries out from there.

Enjoy the compliments!

Seasonal serving suggestion: Add blueberries for a 4th of July celebration.

Antoinette

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