Paleo Chocolate Cherry layer cake

*Follow this link for a new and improved version of this cake (trust me).

Hey everyone!
As the weekend draws to a close, I have some deliciousness to report about! By slightly tweaking my recipe for Paleo Chocolate Orange muffins, I have managed to create a very food porn-ish cake (i believe :D).

Paleo Chocolate Cherry layer cake to be precise!!

  

This image is something I have had in mind for a long while.. and I have also been waiting for a long while for cherries to become available! Today was the day. While I have had cherries in the fridge for quite a few days now, I had not yet had time to even think about what to do with them. Even now... by the time I got to making this cake, I had eaten probably almost half of the cherries I had, just in passing. Now, I was left with not quite enough cherries to use in the cake batter but instead got to test out my new all natural, sugar free Black Cherry Jam! Next time.. the cake will be FULL of cherries.. and will hopefully surpass this already amazing kind of paleo blackforest cake : ).

Ingredients

Note: This list of ingredients makes ONE of the layers. I baked each layer seperately one after the other but it would be possible to simply double these ingredients, make one cake and if you still want the layer of ganache in the middle - slice the cake in half. I dont believe that slicing the cake perfectly even would be overly easy though : ) - hence my baking the layers seperately.

Cake

1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1.5 tsp baking powder
4tbs Natvia (brand of stevia)
4 eggs
1/4 +3tbs apple sauce
2tsp vanilla essence
5 fresh medjool dates pitted
1.5 tbs black cherry jam
Approximately 10 fresh cherries - seeds removed and chopped into spall pieces
Some extra jam to add when serving

Ganache

150g good quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa with the least sugar possible - aim for a naturally sweetened product)
4tbs coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C
Grease (with olive or coconut oil) and line round cake tin with baking paper
Combine coconut flour, cocoa, baking powder and natvia in one bowl - combine
In a separate bowl whisk eggs
In a food processor add dates, apple sauce, jam, vanilla essence and process until mostly smooth
Add to eggs and combine all wet ingredients togetherAdd wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat with cake beaters until smooth
Pour batter into cake tin and place in pre heated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or until firm to touch and a cake tester comes out clean.

Repeat for second layer and let both layers cool.

To prepare Ganache

Gently melt chocolate in a saucepan over low heat
Add coconut cream and vanilla essence
Stir to combine

Assembly

Place bottom layer on serving plate and spread a layer of ganache on top
Sprinkle with half of the chopped cherries and add some dollops of jam as desired
Place second layer on top and repeat ganache, cherries and jam

All that is left now is to slice a piece of and EAT! : )

As with the Paleo Chocolate Orange Muffins, I recommend trying a slice of this cake after refrigeration! The ganache will set and something happens to the batter to make it amazingly delicious.

I would also recommend rerfigerating this within a day or so of making (unless of course the cake is devoured before you have a chance :D) to keep it fresh for as long as possible. I find that he lack of preservatives in my baked goods causes them to spoil quicker than unnaturally sweetened and processed products.

Serving suggestion:

Try serving a slice of this cake with some freshly whipped coconut cream or some home made coconut ice cream! Mint-Choc chip coconut ice cream recipe coming soon! : )

Goodnight everyone - Have a great week!

Mel x