Nostalgia.

There are those who enjoy chocolate – and there are those who are wrong.

I always chose chocolate. Whenever it was my birthday and my sweet, sweet mother asked me, “steffanie, what kind of cake would you like?” I requested chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I have apparently not grown up enough to grow out of that. The combination of a fluffy, rich, chocolate base with a smooth and creamy frosting to match will keep you in never land.

I-will-always-choose-chocolate.

There’s not much to explain here, and I have a chocolate fix to satisfy- so lets get straight to the recipe.

*Note: I did soak and sprout an heirloom bean blend to make it more digestible for my boys, but this is not necessary. You may use black beans or even garbanzo beans, I have tried all three with success!

• 3 cups beans
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup nut/seed butter
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 6 pitted dates
• 6 eggs
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ACV

1. If using dry beans, soak overnight and or sprout/cook to your preference then rinse. If useing canned beans, simply rinse your beans thoroughly.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. Place beans, oil and cashews into your blender or food processor. Blend until puréed.
4. Add Cocoa poweder, dates, eggs, baking soda, salt and ACV. Blend again until completely combined.
5. Pour evenly into 8″ round cake pans.
6. Bake for approximately 45 minutes.

*Tip – when your cake comes out, using a knife, pull the sides of the cake away from the edge. This will allow the condensation to flow out from underneath the cake, allowing for a smooth, cohesive removal from the pan. Let the cake rest a few minutes to cool before removing to finish cooling on a wire rack.

I did whip up a quick peanut butter – chocolate frosting for this cake. Any nut or seed butter would work. If you’re up for more dishes, here is what I used:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup coconut shreds
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup coconut milk powder
• 10 grams beef gelatin
• 2 -4 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Optional: Chocolate shavings or coconut shreds for topping.

1. Place all the ingredients (except optional toppings) in your blender or food processor. *Start with the 2 tbsp of water and adding more as necessary.
2. Purée.
3. Spread evenly over top of your cooled chocolate cake.
4. Make coffee – and enjoy!!