Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Makes 1 6 inch 2 layer cake

 

3 6-inch cake pans

 

Cake:

1 1/2 cups quinoa flour (or all-purpose gluten-free flour)

1/4 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup packed soft Medjool dates, pitted, soaked in water for 30 minutes and 1/2 cup of the water reserved

1/4 cup raw almond butter or pecan butter

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup filtered water

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

 

Frosting:

1 15 oz can organic full-fat coconut milk, chilled

3/4 cup raw cashew butter

1 cup fresh peppermint leaves

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid

 

1/2 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips plus more for serving

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 375F. Line three six-inch-diameter cake pans with sides that are two inches high on the bottom with parchment paper. To prevent the cake from sticking, gently grease the edges of the pan and the parchment paper. In a large basin, thoroughly mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. In a blender, combine the dates, water that was set aside, pecan butter, water, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, and then stir the blended ingredients well into the flour mixture. Add the cider vinegar and whisk until bubbles appear. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. After approximately an hour, fully cool the cakes in a pan on the rack. To loosen, cut along the pan's sides. Place the cakes onto a dish and remove the parchment paper.

In the meantime, create the frosting by combining all the ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor, blending until smooth, except for the coconut butter. Add the coconut butter and process for a further minute while the engine is running. If the mixture becomes lumpy at any point, this is simply the fat separating due to the temperature differences. Simply keep blending until it's smooth it will warm up, so you'll simply need to freeze it for a little while longer. Transfer the frosting to a bowl and refrigerate until it reaches the consistency of whipped cream, stirring every 15 minutes (it might take up to 15 minutes). Depending on whose appliance you used and how heated it got, it may take anything from minutes to an hour.

One layer of cake should be placed on a dish, frosted, and then topped with roughly half a cup of chocolate chips for assembly. After adding another layer and more chocolate chips to the top layer of the cake, cover the top layer with the final layer. Cover the cake's top and sides with the leftover icing. Once the cake is covered with additional chocolate chips, serve!