Posts

Cacao Love Birthday Cake

/2 Comments/in /by

September is my birthday month and up until my birthday, I am planning out my birthday cake every year. The store bought cakes won’t do. I have food allergies and eat gluten free and dairy free so I have to create my own. This version includes bean flour to make it grain free plus organic cacao I picked up from Bedner’s local farm a few weeks ago – my new obsession and coconut oil, another favorite of mine for baking or just eating by the spoonful.

Cacao Love Cakes - pic monkey

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Garbanzo and Fava Flour

3/4 cup Turbinado sugar

1/4 cup organic cacao powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 Tablespoons ground flax meal

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg’s)

4 Tablespoons applesauce PLUS 2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Sift flour, sugar, cacao, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flax meal together into a medium size bowl.

3. Add in wet ingredients: vanilla, cider vinegar, applesauce, coconut oil, stir then add water last. Mix well to combine.

4. For mini cupcakes, put 1 Tablespoon batter into each mini cupcake tin. For regular size cupcakes, put 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake tin.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes (mini cupcakes) or 30 minutes (regular size cupcakes) or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

6. Cool completely, then frost with your favorite icing (see suggestion below).

Divine and chocolately, just the way a birthday cake should taste!

Cacao Love Frosting (vegan)

I love frosting, but the junk they sell at the store is less than appealing. Too many chemicals and an imminent belly ache for me.

Instead I created one with my favorite cacao and coconut oil!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Organic cacao powder

1/4 cup Organic coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoon raw honey, add more if you like it sweeter

Add ingredients to a small bowl and stir until well combined. Chill until ready to frost cupcakes.

Cacao Cake - PicMonkey Collage

What is you favorite kind of birthday cake? I grew up eating yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Now I go for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Yum!

 

New From Vitacost.com: SUPER CACAO – Love at First Bite

/4 Comments/in , , /by

Vitacost logo

Anyone who knows me knows that I <3 chocolate in a big way! I eat it a couple of times a week, but not just any chocolate will do. I love dark chocolate, milk chocolate doesn’t sit well with my body. Dark chocolate that’s dairy free and 66% or higher. I even love the 90% dark chocolate that’s pretty bitter.

Disclosure of material connection: Vitacost provided me with free samples of these products to review. All opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Vitacost recently introduced their own line of chocolate bars, called Super Cacao, and they set the bar pretty high. These bars start with ultra high quality cacao “handcrafted heirloom Ecuadorian cacao, blended with Madagascar vanilla”, but they don’t stop there. They infuse the bar with botanicals, probiotics, and antioxidants to make it bursting with good for you ingredients. So yes calling it super is pretty accurate!

dos bar (480x640) picmonkey

I was sent the Mandarin Orange and Lemon Ginger, they have a third variety of Coconut. Both I really loved, the Mandarin Orange reminded me of the chocolate oranges I used to get at Christmas in my stocking as a kid. Vitacost’s bar is much higher quality in flavor and ingredients by leaps and bounds. The Lemon Ginger was surprisingly good as I’ve never tasted lemon in chocolate. I’ve had ginger in chocolate before and this was a pleasant twist with the lemon. Both bars were Love At First Bite, I can’t pick a favorite they are both divinely delicious!

unwrapped bar1 (480x640)picmonkey

Thank you Vitacost for letting me try these amazing bars! They will be on my next Vitacost order for sure Smile

So for a special treat, check them out here:

http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-super-cacao-mandarin-orange-with-welltrim-ig-66-dark-cacao-1-75-oz-4?csrc=Blogger:TotalHealthCounseling

 

Check out the Vitacost official video:

http://youtu.be/Gu0mGEs46_U

 

 

Decadent Chocolate Valentine’s Cake

/in /by

Valentine’s Day treat for your sweetie! This chocolate delight is both dairy free and gluten free for your special loved one.

Serve with lots of hugs and kisses XOXO!

 

Recipe adapted from my Birthday Cake!

Ingredients:

* 1 cup millet flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour

* 1/2 cup quinoa flakes

* 3/4 cup unrefined turbinado sugar

* 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

* 4 Tablespoons applesauce PLUS 2 Tablespoons canola oil

* 1 cup water

* 1/3 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Sift flour, quinoa flakes, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa together into an 8×8 inch ungreased cake pan.

3. Make three depressions. Pour applesauce and oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, and stir well with fork.

4. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of batter in pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

6. Cool completely, then cut into 16 small squares.

Moist and delicious, the perfect Valentine chocolate treat for your sweetie!

DSC03199 (640x498)