Cacao Chocolate Cake Recipe

Last night the Great British Bake Off 2016 kicked off and in honour me and my little princess baked a cake and in true beauty baking bella style we decided to create our own recipe of a healthier (if thats possible) cake recipe that my little girl could enjoy as well as I on my healthy eating journey. I don't believe in diets and weigh-loss programmes, I believe eating well and weekly exercise is key to create a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

So going back to cake! Indulging in a sweet treat is not a bad thing if it only stays as a sweet treat and not a daily food meal.. we searched through my baking cupboard and found some great ingredients to use in our cake recipe. 

Melis requested we make a chocolate cake so we used Organic Cacao instead of Cocoa, Cacao is a great substitute and a healthier version of chocolate. Cacao is a superfood which is full of vitamins and essential minerals our body needs as part of a nutritional diet, it is also known for its protein and fibre benefits. Cacao is known to reduce body fat, improve your memory, boost immunity as well as increase your energy levels, which makes using Cacao in your mid morning or afternoon snacks a great choice for a healthy energy boost. 

Another ingredient we have also used as a substitute is Organic Coconut Palm Sugar instead of Refined Castor Sugar. Ok, so sugar is sugar but using Coconut sugar gives you less fructose intake (unlike regular sugar) Im not saying its "healthier" just a different alternative to regular sugar and a less sweeter taste if you are not a big fan over overly sweet (I am more of a savoury person, too much sweet upsets my stomach and makes me feel quite sick) Coconut sugar also contains a fibre called Inulin which is a probiotic which helps support blood sugar balance, stomach health and helps improve your immunity. 

So with these two ingredients we created our Cacao Chocolate Recipe..

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 10)

225grams Unsalted Butter

225grams Organic Coconut Palm Sugar

4 Large Eggs

175grams Self- Raising Flour

50grams Organic Cacao Powder

2-3 tbsp Milk

METHOD

Preheat fan oven to 180 degrees

Line two sandwich tins (20cm/8inches) with parchment paper 

Soften the butter in a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, mix well

In a separate bowl whisk the egg, then add to the butter mixture, mix well until a creamy texture

Sieve in the flour and cacao powder and using a metal spoon fold the flour into the butter mixture, add the milk in between to loosen the flour and to create the cake batter

Divide the mixture into the prepared cake tins

Bake on the middle shelf for 18-20 minutes or until skewer comes out clean and the tops are spongey 

Remove from the oven and leave in the tins to cool for 5 minutes before turning out the cakes on to a cooling rack to cool completely

For the filling we used a traditional vanilla buttercream but you can fill it with your choice of filling or just cut into squares and serve with a warm chocolate sauce or a light cream.

We hope you like our recipe. Enjoy!

*I am not a nutritionist or a doctor, I know what foods I need for my body and everyone is different. If you have any concerns or question regarding nutritional or health issues speak to a professional Nutritionist or your GP. 

Love & Light

♥ 

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