Moist, rich, decadent Paleo Chocolate Cake with super sinful chocolate ganache. This cake is perfect for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and/or any special events.
We made it past January, and with Valentine’s Day coming up, we’re in the Safe to Discuss Cake Zone.
I’m happy to offer up this paleo chocolate cake recipe, which is a cleaner option made with almond flour, coconut oil, and pure maple syrup to keep your cake a bit more health-conscious and tolerable for those of you with food intolerances.
Some back history for you: A very similar chocolate cake recipe made its debut on this blog a number of years ago.
I posted my Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake recipe and it dawned on me a couple weeks ago I haven’t made it ever since I first posted it.
I love going back to my older recipes to test them out and see if anything needs to be changed, so I made a few tweaks and baked up this super rich beauty just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Let me just tell you, this moist, sultry, decadent slice of heaven is a beautiful experience to share with others.
The cake itself is a true fluffy delight, and when you add a silky, mouth-melty topping, it has a tendency to turn your whole world upside-down.
Which brings me to my next point:
To ganache or not to ganache? My personal opinion? Ganache it up!
But first, let’s address the elephant in the room.
I used store-bought dark chocolate chips to make the ganache, which include both dairy and cane sugar (Enjoy Life makes dairy-free chocolate chips for those of you who are lactose intolerant or vegan).
While I still haven’t seen paleo-friendly chocolate chips in the grocery stores in my area, I did find these paleo chocolate chips on amazon, so if you want to truly stick to your paleo guns and have your ganache too, they may be the best option (do note, I haven’t tried them yet).
All this to say, the ganache technically un-paleos this recipe if we’re looking at it from a fundamental standpoint.
There are other paleo-friendly frosting alternatives, or you can keep this cake nude and go frosting-less.
Let’s talk presentation.
I made this cake a 2-tier adventure, but if you’d prefer to not dabble in the risky business of cutting a cake in half to fill the middle, you can absolutely keep the cake 1 tier.
In addition, there’s plenty of ganache to frost the whole cake, though I like the look of the drippy ganache.
I love the fresh fruit and/or chopped nut topping on top of the ganache, but as always, you can choose your own adventure here.
One more note before I launch you into the lovely world of paleo chocolate cake.
If you’re looking for that supremely rich and fudgy cake that is ULTRA dense and sinful, take a look at my Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe, as that one fits the bill to a T.
For a sugar-free version, make my Flourless Keto Chocolate Cake.
But for your fluffy-meets-fudgy situation, here’s your jam!
That paleo chocolate cake life!
Paleo Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Paleo Chocolate Cake:
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups finely ground almond flour
- 1/3 cup + 1 TBL arrowroot starch*
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup raw cacao powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Chocolate Ganache:
- 3 cups dark chocolate chips see note*
- 5 tablespoons ghee or grass-fed butter
Instructions
Prepare the Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8-inch spring form pan with parchment paper.
- Add all ingredients for the chocolate cake to a high-powered blender. Blend until completely smooth (avoid over-blending). Pour cake batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave cake in the warm oven another 5 minutes.
- Remove cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Prepare Chocolate Ganache:
- When you’re ready to frost the cake, add the chocolate chips and ghee to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 20-second increments, stirring well between, until chocolate chips have melted and ganache is well-combined, about 40 to 60 seconds total.
Assemble the Cake:
- Release the chocolate cake from the spring form pan and turn it out onto a cutting board. Use a long, sharp knife to cut the cake in half horizontally (hamburger bun-style).
- Place the bottom half of the cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Pour 1/3 of the chocolate ganache onto the cake and smooth into an even layer. Place top half of the cake on top and pour remaining ganache over the cake and spread evenly over the cake. Allow ganache to cool and harden before slicing and serving.
Is there another type of sweetening to use in place of maple syrup….I do not like or use maple syrup? What about honey or molasses, and how would either adjust for sweetness and how would the flavor change the recipe? Are there nutritionals on this, need to know calories, protein, carbs, sugar, etc. Thank you!
Hi Martha,
You can use honey in place of pure maple syrup. I’d stick with the same measurement 🙂 I bet molasses would work, too, although I’d decrease the amount to 1/2 cup. As you probably know, molasses would change the flavor of the cake substantially, but as a molasses lover myself, I think it could be quite good. 🙂
I’ve been trying to go back and make/reshoot old recipes lately too and some involve recipe tweaks for sure! This cake is a beauty and I would absolutely go with that ganache on top. It’s still a great healthier option and I can’t wait to try it!
Right? It’s always good practice to re-visit older recipes..I just wish there were more time in the day! Glad you like the cake!
This is such a pretty cake! Especially with those gorgeous raspberries! I am finally getting the itch to start baking again after needing a break from the holidays! haha Three cheers for chocolate goodness!
Thanks so much, m’dear! I took a baking hiatus after the holidays too and definitely enjoyed this as one of my first baking projects back 😀
I notice that there isn’t any baking powder in this recipe. Will the cake still raise without baking powder or baking soda ?
I made this cake and added 1 teaspoon of baking powder. It came out so flat and dense (probably the thickness of one half of yours). While it tastes like a really dense delicious brownie it looks like a total pinterest fail. 🙁 Do you think I could make it not in the blender? It was really hard to scrape out of the blender.
Hi Kelli! I’m so sorry it didn’t work out! I’ll re-test the cake this week and see what changes need to be made. My deepest apologies!
I just made this and it didn’t rise at all. It’s like an inch thick. Not sure what I did wrong.
Any thoughts on making the ganache dairy free?
Hi Apryl! You can use dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut oil if you’d like! I also have a dedicated recipe for dairy-free ganache that turns out even silkier (https://www.theroastedroot.net/dairy-free-chocolate-ganache/) Hope you enjoy!