The Best German Chocolate Cake, ever.
When I was a little girl, I would spend my afternoons in the kitchen with my great aunt Lillian; Nennie as we call her. She loved coffee, donuts, and cake – she’s a smart woman!
Often times we would bake cakes together, and my most favorite was the German Chocolate cake. I would help her measure the ingredients, she’d stir it all together, and then I’d beg her to not scrape the bowl clean so that I could eat some of the batter. I knew that she loved me beyond measurement because she wouldn’t even scrape the bowl.
This recipe is a tribute to my love for Nennie and our memories of baking together, to my brother because today (as I write this post) is his birthday, and to all of you that just want to lick the spatula and enjoy a delicious slice of cake made from the best ingredients.
Healthy German Chocolate Cake Recipe.
This is most likely the healthiest chocolate cake recipe that tastes like the real deal! No one will guess that it is low sugar and full of good for you nutrients when they taste it.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the Cake
- Dry Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup (243g) pre-sifted Organic All-purpose Wheat Flour
- ½ tsp (4g) Fine Grain Salt
- 1 tsp (6g) Baking Powder
- 1 tsp (12g) Baking Soda
- 1/4 cup (23g) Cocoa Powder
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup Raw Cow Milk, or coconut milk see note*
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 cup Fresh Brewed Coffee, cooled
- 1 ¼ cup (212g) Coconut Sugar
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter or Melted Coconut oil
- 2 Large Organic Farm Eggs, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp Molasses
- -
- Ingredients for the Frosting -
- 1 cup (142g) Pitted Dates
- 1 cup (200g) Raw Cow Milk or Coconut milk, see note*
- 1 tsp (6g) Molasses
- 1/2 cup (63g) Coconut Oil
- 2 cup Shredded Coconut, unsweetened
- 1 cup Pecans, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Coat two 9” round baking pans liberally with coconut oil and dust with cocoa powder.
- Sift together flour, cacao powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder into large mixing bowl.
- In a medium bowl, mix together sugar and wet ingredients until sugar is dissolved.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl using a whisk to mix together. Whisk all ingredients together well, or use a mixer on low speed to blend for 30 seconds. Do not over mix.
- Pour the cake batter dividing it between the two baking pans.
- Bake cakes for 20 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the center of the cakes, if it comes out clean the cake is done. Depending upon your oven and where you live the baking time may vary.
- Instructions for Frosting:
- Use a blender to blend dates, milk, molasses, and coconut oil until smooth.
- Warm these ingredients in a small sauce pot to melt oil and dates together.
- Stir in shredded coconut and pecans (if using pecans).
- After cakes have baked and cooled, layer cakes with coconut topping in between and on top of cake.
*Notes About the Ingredients.
All of the ingredients for the cake should be at your local grocery store in the natural foods section. If you’d rather order, I’ve linked my favorite brands in these following affiliate links for you. The following information may seem overwhelming, but think of it as the conversation we’d have if I were in the kitchen with you.
Good quality flour is the secret to good baked foods. I use all-purpose organic wheat flour from Azure Standard. It is freshly ground and works incredibly well for also making sourdough breads. For many years in baking, I thought organic flour was enough, once I started using Azure Standard’s flours that is when I realized there really is a difference between what’s sold in typical grocery stores and what is available freshly ground.
I use raw cow milk for this recipe, but have also used homemade coconut milk. You may use canned coconut milk and thin it with water; use it with a ratio of 1:1 of canned coconut milk and water. For example, one cup of coconut milk in this recipe should be equal to 1/2 cup canned coconut milk and 1/2 cup water.
I use Bob’s Red Mill baking powder and baking soda.
For a fine grain salt, I used Celtic sea salt.
Apple cider vinegar will be available in store, I order it and most of my bulk groceries from Azure Standard.
Pecans are optional because of possible tree nut allergies (and because sometimes they’re not a pantry staple). If you use pecans, toss them in the coconut mix or as a topping!
Use a good quality raw cacao or cocoa powder, preferably organic fair trade. Raw cacao and cocoa powder are not the same, raw cacao powder is the ground cacao bean. Cocoa powder is the cacao powder that has been heated, and sometimes contains added ingredients.
Fair trade organic coffee has the best flavor and supports small coffee farmers. Let the coffee cool before you mix it in with the ingredients.
Organic blackstrap unsulphured molasses is an ingredient that I use in many sweet and savory recipes. I also put it in my coffee. The minerals of the molasses give recipes a well rounded flavor.
Coconut sugar is a sweetener that I use in place of cane sugar in recipes. Some recipes need granulated sugar because of the chemical reactions needed to create a specific texture. I have tried substituting blended dates, prunes, and dried stevia, but the cakes always have a texture that is too dense for a fluffy cake recipe. Using coconut sugar gives you that fluffy cake texture, and it contains minerals making it a nutritionally suitable sweetener.
I use organic farm eggs that I purchase directly from the farmer. If you are allergic to eggs, ground chia seed will substitute for the egg. Simply replace the eggs for 1Tbsp of ground chia seed. Extra water is not needed for this recipe to make chia eggs which is made by grinding 1 Tbsp of chia seeds, then blend with 4 Tbsp of water until gelled.
Shredded coconut is used in the frosting, when you purchase shredded coconut look for unsweetened coconut that is also unsulphured. I, personally, have a sensitivity to sulphites as a preservative in foods and the more preservatives we can avoid the better.
I hope you enjoy this healthier take on German Chocolate Cake, which if you want to go along on a history tangent, isn’t even a traditional German cake after all. Because this cake recipe is using such wholesome ingredients and much lower in refined sugar, it’s one to make when you just feel like having cake – no special occasion needed!
Much Love,
Jessie
