A Healthier Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe
An incredibly rich & delicious gluten-free and grain-free chocolate fudge cake recipe that’s naturally sweetened by Meg of This Mess is Ours. Chocolate lovers, prepare to meet your new favorite cake.
Why you’ll love this Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe
Rich, dense chocolate cake, drizzled with an indulgent, creamy ganache. Sounds like a dream, right? You’d never guess that this incredible cake is gluten-free AND grain-free.
It only gets better from here. Meg sweetens this chocolate fudge cake recipe with a prune and maple syrup purée and coconut sugar – which means that it’s also refined sugar-free.
If you’re wondering is a healthier chocolate fudge cake recipe can still be delicious, the answer is a resolute “yes”. In fact, we’d argue that it’s actually more delicious. Prunes intensify the flavors of the chocolate, adding depth of flavor and moisture. We’re drooling just thinking about taking a bite of this chocolate bomb.
What’s the difference between chocolate cake and chocolate fudge cake?
Generally speaking, a chocolate cake is lighter and fluffier, whereas a chocolate fudge cake is rich and dense. Almond flour creates a more dense cake (and adds protein!), while prunes enhance the rich fudgy flavors.
A dairy-free chocolate ganache
Meg uses coconut milk and dark chocolate morsels to create a creamy, dairy-free ganache. She simply combines the chocolate chips and coconut milk in a double boiler and stirs until the mixture is melted and smooth. After generously topping the chocolate fudge cake, you’ll still have some leftover. Here are our favorite ways to use chocolate ganache:
Pour over ice cream (it creates a “magic shell” effect)
Use as a dip for fruits
Make sandwich cookies with ganache filling
Chocolate Covered Prune Fudge Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- Coconut oil spray
- 14 TBSP butter chopped
- 2 TBSP vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 10 soft pitted prunes, chopped small
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup almond meal
For the ganache:
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 1/3 cup dark chocolate morsels *
Instructions
To make the chocolate fudge cake:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150C). Lightly spray the bottom and side of an 8-inch (20 cm) round springform pan with coconut oil spray. Place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan and lightly spray it with coconut spray as well.
- Place the butter and vanilla in a small saucepan over low heat. Use a sieve to sift the cocoa into the pan with the butter. Stir with a spatula until completely smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the prunes and maple syrup into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the “s” blade. Top with the cooled butter mixture then process until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, being sure to scrape all of the chocolate mixture from the food processor with a spatula.
- Place the eggs and coconut sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high speed for 7 minutes or until tripled in volume.
- Add one-third of the egg mixture to the bowl with the chocolate mixture. Using your spatula, gently fold together until completely combined. Add the almond flour and the remaining egg mixture to the bowl and gently fold to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes or until set. (This cake gets fudgier as it sets so a test skewer inserted into the center will not come out clean.) Once cooked through transfer the cake to a cooling rack and cool completely in the pan.
To make the ganache:
- Combine the coconut milk and the dark chocolate morsels in the top of a double boiler, melt together until completely smooth. Pour the prepared ganache over the cake, you will have some left over. Serve immediately for a molten fudge effect or allow to completely set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Love this Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe? Try these chocolate + prune pairings…
Chocolate Prune Olive Oil Cake
Shhhh! Want to know a secret? Our friends at Bake from Scratch used prune purée to replace half the sugar needed in this Chocolate Prune Olive Cake! We won’t tell if you don’t!
Chocolate Mug Cake
Got five minutes? That’s all you need to whip up this individual Chocolate Mug Cake. This warm, gooey dessert from This Mess is Ours is the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Chocolate Walnut Chiffon Cake
Chef Bronwen Wyatt‘s Chocolate Walnut Chiffon Cake is layered with prunes and chicory custard and rounded out with cocoa swiss buttercream. The flavor and texture is akin to a tiramisu – soft layers that melt in the mouth.
Vegan Peppermint Brownies
Obviously, these Peppermint Brownies from Displaced Housewife are the perfect holiday dessert – minty, fudgy and incredibly delicious!
Did you try this recipe? Maybe you’ve got a favorite recipe using California Prunes that you’d like to share with us? Snap a pic and share it on social using #caprunes.
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