Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is from Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks.com. This is my "special" cake. Or as she describes it, "an everyday chocolate cake that you might not make everyday". It's the cake I make if I want to really go all out. It's rich. It's chocolaty. And it's expensive. I'll be honest. With 1 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup, 3/4 cup of really good organic cocoa powder, 1/2 cup coconut oil, and 10 oz. of really good bittersweet, organic chocolate chips, you may wonder if it's really worth it. It is. Just every once in awhile. It's a dense cake baked in an 8x8 glass Pyrex pan. I love that, too. It's so inconspicuous. The frosting is a light chocolate whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup. It's perfect. Do not overbake it, though. In fact, underbake it slightly and refrigerate the leftovers. You will find that after it's been refrigerated it will get almost truffle-like, because all of the chocolate in the cake hardens up. If you want it to be more crumb-like then just let it sit out at room temperature. Microwaving it, even for only 10 seconds at a power level of 2, will liquefy the frosting. I actually like it that way, because with chocolate and cream it's kinda like ganache.

2 1/2 cups freshly ground wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup non-alkaline/non-Dutched cocoa powder (I use Dagoba )
1 tablespoon baking powder (look for non-aluminum type)
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup barely melted coconut oil
1 cup real maple syrup, room temperature
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk, room temp
8 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, shaved or finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F degrees with a rack in the middle. Butter and flour an 8x8 square cake pan (I've also had success using a 9x9 pan, just adjust your baking time). Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the melted coconut oil and maple syrup until it looks like caramel. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and then the coconut milk. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the flour mixture and stir until barely combined. Add the chocolate and stir until everything comes together and is no longer dusty looking - avoid over-mixing. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 - 40 minutes. This is a cake I like slightly under-baked, so I pull it out when the center is still a bit under cooked - the toothpick doesn't quite come out clean when testing. If you are going to use it for a layer cake - then bake it all the way (clean toothpick). Remove from oven and allow to cool (absolutely completely) in pan before frosting (frosting recipe below). ` `

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

To make the frosting melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, or in a bowl placed over a pan of boiling water. In a medium bowl beat the coconut oil until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup. Then add the melted chocolate. Stir until silky smooth - any flecks of butter should be melted. Pour the chocolate mixture over the whipped cream and fold the chocolate into the cream. Keep going until the chocolate is well incorporated. Use an offset spatula to frost the completely cooled cake. If the cake is at all warm, the frosting will weep and melt.