The world’s healthiest chocolate cake

When it comes to the great pleasures of life, little can compare to a great big slice of chocolate cake. But if you’re trying to stick to a healthy diet, this delicious delight is generally off the menu. Until now. Functional nutritionist and best-selling cookbook author Luke Hines has teamed up with Lakanto to create the world’s healthiest chocolate cake. And because we love you so much, we’re sharing the recipe here with you now.

Lakanto produces naturally sugar-free sweetener products made from monk fruit. They contain 93 percent fewer calories than sugar, have zero carbs and won’t raise blood sugar levels. This makes the products ideal for diabetics, as well as those following keto, gluten-free, paleo, plant-based, vegan, low-carb or low-sugar diets.

“Discovering Lakanto monk fruit sweetener was a game changer for both my cooking and my health,” Hines says. “I still get to enjoy my favourite foods, but in a way that makes them low-carb, so I don’t have to compromise my health goals. This is the only sweetener I’ll use, because it not only tastes great; it’s genuinely good for you, too.”

So get ready to indulge in some chocolately goodness – a cake that’s diabetic-friendly, free from refined sugars, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. Oh, and utterly delicious.

The world’s healthiest chocolate cake

You’ll need:

For the cake:

3 cups almond meal
1 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour
3 tbsp coconut flour
2 cups Lakanto Baking Blend
1½ cups cacao powder (see notes)
2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
4 flax eggs (see notes)
½ cup melted coconut oil, cooled, plus extra for greasing
1½ cups coconut milk
1 cup filtered water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or powder

For the frosting:

4 cups Lakanto Icing Powder
1 cup cacao powder
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup tinned coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or powder

For the decoration:

Fresh raspberries
Freeze-dried raspberries
Shards of low-carb keto chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease the bases and sides of three 20cm springform cake tins with coconut oil and line the bottoms with baking paper.
2. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix well to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk well for 1–2 minutes to create your lovely cake batter.
3. Using a spoon and spatula, evenly distribute the batter among the three prepared tins. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of each sponge comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
4. For the chocolate frosting, add all ingredients to a stand mixer (or add ingredients to a large bowl and use a hand mixer) and mix together on low speed for 30 seconds. Once the ingredients have started to combine, slowly increase the speed to high and blend for a further 1 minute. Check your consistency at this point and tweak as desired, adding a little more milk to thin it out slightly or a little more icing powder if you’d prefer it a little thicker.
5. Once the cakes have completely cooled, assemble the cake by stacking the sponges one on top of the other, adding a quarter or so of the chocolate frosting between each layer. Slather the remaining frosting over the top of the cake and decorate with fresh and freeze-dried raspberries and shards of chocolate, if desired.

Notes:

• Cacao powder is different to cocoa powder in that it has been less processed and therefore retains more nutrients. You can find it online or in health food stores.

• To make a flax egg, mix 1½ tablespoons of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water in a bowl. Put it in the fridge for 15-30 minutes, or until the mixture has begun to bind and thicken in an egg-like consistency. For 4 flax eggs, just quadruple these quantities. If you don’t need the cake to be vegan, you can just use 4 eggs.

Lakanto Monkfruit Sweeteners are available in the sugar aisle in more than 2500 outlets nationwide, including Woolworths, Coles, Drakes, Ritchies IGA and selected health food stores. For more information head to lakanto.com.au