Cinnamon Peanut Chocolate Maple Cake
What started out as a basic chocolate cake became much more fragrant and flavorful with the simple switcheroo of unrefined peanut oil for butter. Using maple syrup instead of sugar intensifies both the chocolate and the peanut, and you can add your choice of spice to provide a different dimension of flavor. In the end, this cake is versatile enough to be either a satisfying breakfast or a sweet dessert — serve the former as is and the latter with fruit, jam/preserves, icing/frosting, or a drizzle of maple syrup.
Cinnamon Peanut Chocolate Maple Cake
both gluten-free and wheat versions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For a shallow cake, grease an 11×7 pan with butter or peanut oil (the resulting pieces are more stackable if you want to frost between them); for a thicker cake, grease an 8×8 pan.
Using a whisk, combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup almond flour*
1/2 cup sorghum flour*
1/2 cup brown rice flour*
1 T. cinnamon (or 1 T. of a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and/or ginger)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
In a smaller bowl, use the same whisk to combine the liquid ingredients:
2/3 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
2 medium eggs or 1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup unrefined peanut oil (this oil retains its flavor and nutrients when heated up to 395 degrees F)
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and mix with a wooden spoon, then quickly pour batter into pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, then do a toothpick test to see if the cake is done. If not, bake an additional 5 minutes and test again. (The 8×8 cake may require more baking time than the 11×7.)
*If you would rather make this with wheat, simply use a total of 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour — it’s another type of wheat, not a refined flour) rather than the sorghum, brown rice, and almond flours.
Enjoy!
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Tags: breakfast, cake, chocolate, cinnamon, dessert, gluten-free, maple, peanut oil, whole wheat
