Chocolate Fudge Birthday Cake
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert, Birthday, Special Occasion
Cuisine: Gluten-free, Refined Sugar-free
Serves: 10-12
 
A 3-tiered chocolate fudge birthday cake perfect for any occasion and suitable for any picky eaters or those with gluten-sensitivities. Zucchinis and avocados make this cake creamy and absolutely delectable without the need for butter and cream found in traditional birthday cake recipes! This year, you can eat your cake guilt-free and feel radiant too! Read notes at the bottom before starting your epic chocolate cake! Don't be intimidated by the long instructions or notes, I just want to make sure the cake turns out perfect for you like it did for me!
Ingredients
  • CAKE
  • 1 c. almond flour
  • ½ c. coconut flour
  • ½ c. cornstarch, preferably organic & non-GMO
  • ¾ c. cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. cream of tartar
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1 c. dates
  • 2 tbsp. barley malt syrup*
  • 2 tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • ¼ c. apple sauce
  • ¾ c. coconut oil, melted
  • 5 large cage-free eggs
  • 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar**
  • 3 c. zucchini, shredded (~3 medium)***
  • CHOCOLATE MOUSSE FROSTING
  • 1 block tofu, soft ****
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • ⅓ c. cocoa powder
  • ⅓ c. dates
  • 1 tbsp. espresso powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla
  • ¼ c. coconut oil
  • COFFEE SYRUP
  • ⅓ c. freshly brewed espresso
  • ¼ c. organic cane sugar
  • ⅓ c. rum
  • GARNISH
  • 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • Strawberries, sliced
Instructions
  1. FOR THE CAKE, preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 5 inch diameter round cake pan thoroughly with coconut oil using a paper towel. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl or stand mixer. Using your food processor, add in avocado, dates, applesauce, syrups and vanilla. Once those ingredients are nicely blended, add in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient. Turn on your stand mixer or hand mix until a batter forms. Add in eggs, one at a time into the batter. Mix until the batter is velvety and lump-free. Add in the shredded zucchini. Pour ⅓ of the batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 33-37 minutes, or until the cake passes toothpick test. Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the baking process for the other two layers.
  2. FOR THE MOUSSE FROSTING, add everything in your food processor and whirl until smooth and creamy. Transfer into a bowl and allow it to firm in the fridge for at least 15-20 minutes.
  3. FOR THE ESPRESSO SYRUP, transfer the freshly brewed espresso into a small saucepan. Add in the sugar and allow the sugar to melt on medium heat. Once sugars are dissolved, remove from heat, and add in rum.
  4. TO ASSEMBLE, spoon/brush espresso mixture onto cake layers generously. Use up all the syrup because the more you use, the moister and more fudgey the cake will turn out to be! Frost each cake layer with the chocolate mousse frosting. Cover the cake with the remaining frosting, but try to do this quick because the frosting softens at room temperature and it can get messy if you leave it out for too long!
  5. FOR GARNISH, carefully sift 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder onto the top of the cake. Assemble strawberries any way you like!
Notes
You can use a regular 8 inch cake pan if the smaller size is unavailable. However, your cake would be two-tiered instead of three.
*if barley malt syrup is unavailable, you can substitute it with blackstrap molasses or honey
** Apple cider vinegar activates baking soda. If you only have multiple cake pans, mix in the apple cider vinegar right before the batter goes in the oven. This will ensure your cake comes out super fluffy! If you only have one cake pan (like me), separate the batter into three separate bowls, and add 2 tsp. of vinegar to the bowl that is going to be baked first. When the first layer is baked and the pan is ready to be used for the second layer, mix in another 2 tsp. of vinegar to the second bowl of batter before baking. Repeat for the last layer.
*** I shredded my zucchini in the food processor with the usual S blade, without using the grating disc. Make sure you chop up the zucchinis into cubes before putting it into the food processor. The zucchinis turned out to be very finely shredded, to the point where it looked a bit like apple sauce. This is completely normal and will only make your cake moist!
**** I used Sunrise brand soft tofu (300 grams)
Recipe by Radiant Rachels at https://radiantrachels.com/chocolate-fudge-birthday-cake/