Following a grain free diet requires some planning and thought, especially when you have a special occasion coming up.This recipe is for a chocolate cake that is a delicious combination of chocolate and raspberry and is topped off with a rich buttercream frosting. For that special occasion you can use the raspberry filling to write a special message on the cake. I’ll show you how.
This recipe uses cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Together they make chocolate without any other additives. Adding the secret ingredient of beets adds to the flavor and texture of the cake. This cake is reminiscent of the ever so popular red velvet cake except these are extraordinarily healthy and legal on GAPS and Paleo diets.
Pure Cocoa Butter
The purest chocolate comes from organic food grade cacao butter. This cacao butter imbues a mild chocolate flavor to any baked product. Many goodies can be made that are full of nutrition and satisfying to chocolate lovers.
Cocoa butter is also well tolerated by people who are caffeine sensitive, because there is no caffeine in pure cacao butter. I personally, feel no effects at all from cocoa butter — but I do feel the caffeine in cocoa powder because I am very sensitive to caffeine and do better without it.
Beets are Full of Nutrition
Beets are an earthy root vegetable that contains unique antioxidants and phytonutrients. The two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants that have been found to offer protection against coronary artery disease, stroke and have anti-aging effects. Additionally, lutein and zeaxanthin are powerful protectors against free radical damage, particularly with respect to the macula and retina of the eye.
Beets also are a unique source of betalains. Betanin and vulgaxanthin are the two best-studied betalains from beets, and have been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. The betalains also lower the levels of homocysteine in the body which can be harmful to the blood vessels. Thus, beetroot offers protection against cardiovascular diseases.
Beets are rich in vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium and have also been shown to protect against cancer, particularly of the skin, liver, lung, prostate and breast. You really can’t beat the nutrition here.
I’m of the opinion that it is OK to sneak healthy vegetables into baked goods for very picky children. At the same time it is important to try to get them to eat these foods on their own. That said, the main purpose of the beets in this recipe is to add color, flavor and most importantly moisture to the batter. Grain free baking can result in very dry disappointments if you do not add enough ingredients with moisture.
In this recipe I use three small baking pans because I like to make a small cake. When company comes they usually bring their own conventional desserts and so very few people eat the grain free version — but you have it there for those who do need it. That suits me just fine because I would rather not offer it to people who don’t need it or appreciate it.
However, grain free or not, everyone loves this cake!
Ingredients
Ingredients for Filling
Ingredients for Decorative Writing
Equipment
Instructions
Decorative Message on Cake
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