The Devil's Food Cake Trials

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend and got to do something fun!

For me, blogging is fun, cooking is fun, baking is fun, eating is fun...I'm not one who does a whole lot just because it's the weekend. In fact, I'm a real homebody, so my weekend was spent perusing blogs, conjuring new recipes, practicing my photography, and creating various versions of this....

I've seriously made this, like, 15 times, slightly varied each time. Each trial was taste-tested and compared to the others in order to hone in on the precise combination that yielded the greatest texture and taste.

While I'm not vegan, nor vegetarian, nor paleo, nor gluten-free, I know a lot of people these days fall into at least one of those categories. Pretty much the only things I don't eat are pork and shellfish.

I did, however, go through a time in my life when my allergies were so bad that all I could eat was white chicken meat, beans, brown rice, oats, cucumbers, and apples. For years of my life, I ate this way to keep severe allergy attacks at bay. Upon healing, I gained a new appreciation for food and, subsequently, cooking.

My blurry point here is that I understand diet restrictions. Whether by choice or necessity, I have empathy for those with limited diets, such as Atkins or paleo, and I love the challenge of creating something delicious for them! It helps me, as well, because I find varying my diet more, helps my food allergies, and both my daughter, Jade, and my husband are sensitive to dairy and gluten.

I have two versions of this cake for you today....(and probably many more in the near future!)...

First up...the paleo recipe!

PALEO DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE (SERVES 1)

1/4 c. almond meal

1 T. coconut sugar

dash salt

1/2 t. baking powder

1 T. cocoa powder

1 T. raw almond butter

1/2 t. vanilla

5-6 drops liquid stevia

2 T. almond or coconut milk

1 T. dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the almond meal, coconut sugar, salt, cocoa, and baking powder in a bowl. Mix the milk, almond butter, vanilla, and stevia in another bowl until the almond butter emulsifies. Mix all (except for the tablespoon of dark chocolate). Pour the mix into an oiled 1/2 cup ramekin. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove, top with the chopped chocolate and place back into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove, cool, and enjoy!

This was so good! This was actually my husband's favorite. He said I should've posted it for Firefighter Friday, because a lot of firemen are on the paleo diet. Sorry guys. I couldn't wait.

The second version is vegan, gluten-free, and insanely delicious as well!

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE (SERVES 1)

1/4 c. oats, ground

1 T. coconut sugar

dash salt

1/2 t. baking powder

1 T. cocoa powder

1/2 T. applesauce

1/2 T. coconut oil

1/2 t. vanilla

5-6 drops liquid stevia

2 T. almond or coconut milk

1 t. chia seeds

1 T. dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ground oats, coconut sugar, salt, cocoa, and baking powder in a bowl. Mix the milk, applesauce, coconut oil, vanilla, chia seeds and stevia in another bowl. Let the chia mix sit for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Mix all (except for the tablespoon of dark chocolate). Pour the mix into an oiled 1/2 cup ramekin. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove, top with the chopped chocolate and place back into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove, cool, and enjoy!

I'm a bit partial to this one, simply because there are oats in it. Oats make everything better. 🙂

They're actually both wonderful, in my humble opinion. A perfect quench for a thirsty sweet tooth that is both easy and healthy!

What diet or way of eating do you find best for yourself and why?

I've always been intrigued by vegans. Their focus on vegetables is to be applauded, but I feel like I do better with some animal protein in my diet. I still try to keep my veggie and fruit intake high, but animal protein displaces that amount to some extent. I don't think I could ever go paleo and give up oats, but it is probably beneficial to remove the starches that come from grains and legumes every so often.

Shared with: Wellness Weekend, Allergy-Friendly Friday, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Allergy Free Wednesday