Chocolate-Chocolate Cake With Cacao-Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting

*chocolatechocolatecake

This is a recipe based off of a Simple Treats Chocolate Cake. This cake has a delicious rich chocolatey taste, made with whole grain barley flour and no wheat. The recipe is super straight forward and amazing with this vegan Buttercream Frosting. I used cocoa powder for the cake and RAW cacao powder for the frosting- who says sugar can’t have a superfood kick to it. Let the cake cool entirely before frosting it with room temperature buttercream. You can also make the cake a day in advance and place it in the fridge or freezer  until you are ready for frosting.

Chocolate-Chocolate Cake

Dry:

1-1/2c barley flour

1/2c cocoa powder

1/2c coconut sugar (palm sugar) maple sugar or sucanat

1t baking soda

1t baking powder

1/2t salt

Wet:

1/4c canola oil

1/4c maple syrup

1/2c cashew nut milk

1T vanilla

1t chocolate extract

1t apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, except for the sugar.

Combine all of the wet ingredients in a small bowl.

Mix the wet into the dry and pour into a well-oiled pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to bake for another 10-12 minutes. Cake is done when a knife or cake tester comes out clean from the middle.

Cacao Hazlenut ButterCream Frosting

3/4 c vegan butter

3/4c vegan shortening

1/2c cacao OR cocoa powder

2-1/2c powdered sugar

1t vanilla extract

1t hazelnut extract

1t chocolate extract

1T cashew nut milk

In a medium-large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, or by hand if you are ambitious, cream the powdered sugar with the vegan shortening until mixture is thick, fluffy and well combined. Add the cashew nut milk, cocoa powder and the flavorings, and continue to mix until smooth.

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Peanut Butter Cacao Power Smoothie

*PBCACAOSMOOTHIE

Peanut Butter Chocolate Power Smoothie

1c nut milk

2T raw cacao powder

1T raw agave or raw local honey

2T peanut butter

1t vanilla

1scoop protein powder

1T hemp seeds

pinch Himalayan sea salt

1c ice

blend all ingredients together except the ice and process until smooth- taste and adjust if needed

add the ice and blend just until smooth.

Variations:

Chocolate Monkey- add 1 frozen banana in place of the ice

Green Coconut Cacao Chip Power Smoothie

*green coconut cacao chip power smoothie

Such an easy way to drink your greens! Baby spinach is really quite benign in smoothies, unlike Kale (blech), I am not a kale-in-my-smoothie kind of girl, spinach on the other hand, I can do. Creamy and sweet, this smoothie is a super satisfying way to start the day or to be indulged as total nourishment after a killer workout. Adding the nibs in with the ice leaves bits of the superfood madness that is raw cacao to be enjoyed as the “chip” part.

Green Coconut Cacao Chip Power Smoothie

1c nut milk- cashew or almond

1T hemp seeds

2t raw agave or raw local honey

1T coconut manna

*2T raw cacao nibs

1T chia seeds

1t vanilla

Large handful baby spinach

1scoop protein powder

1c ice

Blend all ingredients together except the ice and cacao nibs and process until smooth- taste and adjust if needed.

Add the ice and the nibs blend just until smooth.

*if you would prefer total smoothie smoothness, blend the nibs in with everything else, then add the ice.