Teff & Coconut Chocolate Cake

This cake is decadent, healthy and good looking, all in one. Mira has done it again and delivered another guilt free delicious teatime treat. Save this post – you won’t regret it!

Teff is a naturally gluten free ancient super grain with a low glycaemic index. It really is a wonder grain for anything from breads and pastas to biscuits, muffins and cakes. It has a beautiful earthy and nutty flavour so it can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes. Teff is packed with fibre and protein as well as a range of essential vitamins and minerals. It is rich in calcium, magnesium, iron and Vitamin C plus its super beneficial for blood sugar levels, digestion and inflammation. And this one’s a nut free version too! Let’s bake ☺

INGREDIENTS
1 cup teff flour
1 cup ground coconut (put coconut flakes in a blender)*
¼ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup raw cacao powder
½ cup coconut sugar
2 large or 3 small spotty bananas, mashed
½ cup full fat coconut milk
½ cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (with ‘the Mother’)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
Pinch of salt
*Place coconut flakes in a food processor/blender (I use a Nutribullet and it works well). Pulse until a coarse flour is formed. The coconut shouldn’t be too fine. Don’t over-blend, or it will become a paste.

ICING INGREDIENTS
¾ cup full fat coconut milk
1 cup roughly chopped good quality dark chocolate (refined sugar free) or you can sub 2-3 tbsp raw cacao powder, 1 tbsp raw cacao paste + ¼ cup pure maple syrup
Pinch of ground ginger
Pinch of Pink Himalayan salt

Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes

METHOD
I’ve made this recipe as both a cake and a loaf so it works great with icing or even sliced as a loaf and served with tahini or nut butter and maple syrup.
I use a mini convection oven which works like a charm and you don’t need to pre-heat your oven but if you are using a large oven then pre-heat the oven to 180C. Combine the teff flour, coconut flour, tapioca, cacao powder, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. Mix well. In a separate bowl combine the oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla together. Once combined add the mashed banana. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients slowly to avoid lumps. Line a baking pan (23cmx7cm) with parchment paper and bake on the middle rack (so the cake doesn’t burn on top) for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before icing. The icing can set in the fridge while the cake cools down.

ICING METHOD
On low heat gently warm the coconut milk until just before boiling point. Turn off the heat and add the dark chocolate or sub with raw cacao powder, raw cacao paste and maple syrup. Gently mix and add the ground ginger and pink Himalayan salt. If too thick you can thin out with extra coconut milk. Allow to cool. Once cooled the icing can set in the fridge so that it becomes thick. The recipe pictured here is two cakes stacked with icing and raspberries layered on the bottom cake and the top cake is iced and topped with fresh berries: cherries, blueberries, black berries, raspberries, halved strawberries and edible flowers. Serve with a dollop of whipped coconut cream for the ultimate indulgence!

Nut Free, GF, DF, SF

Recipe: Mira Weiner @miraweiner

Photographer: Samantha Lowe @createcontentwithus

Food Styling: Christi Wasserman @hello_happiest