Low-carb Dark Chocolate Nut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting {Grain-free, Gluten-free, Low-carb}

Low-carb chocolate nut cake with cream cheese frosting

 

This recipe has been awhile in the tweaking stage, but I think I’ve got a winner now 🙂

I do love dark chocolate. I always have, but perhaps even more so since ditching the wheat and going low-carb… as dark chocolate is one of the few sweet indulgences I still make in my healthy lifestyle. This cake is moist, rich, tasty, low in carbs and delicious enough to have for special occasions, while being simple enough to prepare for no reason at all!

 

Grain-free, low-carbers, Rejoice! 16 pieces will give you:

• About 3g net carbs per slice without chocolate chips
  (4.25g with cream cheese frosting )
• About 6g net carbs with chocolate chips
  (7.25 with cream cheese frosting)

The recipe is one that I evolved from my Pumpkin Maple Spice Muffins (which are truly awesome by the way, if you haven’t tried them yet!) The nut butter and pumpkin puree in the batter seem to really add to the moistness. I threw in some walnuts and a few chocolate chips, which made it even yummier, but those are optional of course. These would also work great as cupcakes or muffins, but I rarely make cake, so am happy having a slice with my coffee this morning 😀 While this was yummy when fresh, I find it’s much better when it’s been refrigerated overnight, as the frosting firms up and the cake takes on a fudge-y richness. It reminds me of the zucchini fudge cake my mom used to make back in the wheating days 😉

Low-carb Chocolate Nut Cake

Adding wet ingredients into dry

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 C almond flour
• 2 Tb coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C dark cocoa powder
• 6 Tb Truvia or other sweetener to taste

Prepared pan

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 C nut butter (I have used both cashew and almond butters)
• 1/4 C mayonnaise
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 2/3 C pumpkin puree
• 1/4 C half-n-half, coconut milk or almond milk
• 1/4 C melted butter or coconut oil
• 1 Tb vanilla extract

Smooth batter on top

Add-Ins:

• 1/2 C dark chocolate chips (I used 60% cocoa Ghirardelli)
• 1 C chopped walnuts, pecans or nuts of your choice

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake pan or cupcake pan with liners. (Note: I used a 10″ springform pan, greased with butter, the bottom lined with a parchment round, and dusted with gluten-free flour to prevent sticking.) In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, and add other wet ingredients one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add wet ingredients into dry, and combine completely.

Cooling before frosting

Stir in nuts and chocolate chips if using them. Fill cake pan with batter, taking care to smooth out the top a bit, as this batter is not self-leveling. Bake for a total of 35-45 minutes, rotating pan halfway through bake time to ensure even cooking. Remove to rack to cool. If splitting one cake into 2 layers as I have done, cool completely before attempting to cut cake. Frost with Cream Cheese frosting or serve plain.

 

 

Rich, thick cream cheese frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 3/4 C butter, softened
• 1/4 C Truvia or other sweetener to taste
• 2 blocks cream cheese, softened (16 oz total)
• 1 Tb vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tb half-n-half or cream if needed

Directions: In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat butter until lightened. Add sweetener and beat until well mixed and light. Add cream cheese, one block at a time, beating completely to ensure a fluffy frosting. Mix in 1Tb vanilla if desired. Add liquid if needed for desired consistency, and mix well. Be sure cake is cooled completely before frosting.

Very moist, rich and filling!