In life, there are some mysteries that CAN be solved. Like creating a truly healthy gluten free chocolate cake recipe, for example!
And doesn’t it look divine?
In my earlier series on incorporating healthy peas and lentils into our gluten free diets, I decided to pull off the ultimate magic trick: hiding lentils in a chocolate cake!
Now before you scrunch up your nose, hold on. What do you know about me and my recipes? That’s right – I’m your real food girl.
I make foods you’re familiar with and are used to eating with your family, except that I make them gluten free! This one is no different, except for the part where I snuck some healthy stuff into your cake.
- Veggie Burger & Yummy GF Buns
- “Eat Your Veggies!” Zucchini Bread
- Chilled Mexican Pea or Lentil Salad
- Easy Pumpkin Hummus
Here, the lentil puree takes the place of fat to hold the cake together and give it good texture — and it works!
One note on cooking with lentils though, be sure to rinse and pick through your lentils before cooking, as they have been found to sometimes contain errant grains of wheat or barley, and other debris. It’s important to clean them well before cooking.
So pull up your big kid pants and take the chance that I just might be right: it IS possible to make a chocolate cake that’s too delicious to resist and also too healthy to pass up.
Healthy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe
This delicious chocolate cake lacks nothing in flavor or texture; no one would ever guess its ingredients make it a healthy gluten free chocolate cake!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lentil purée – use any color dried lentils (cooled)
- 1 cup gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, date sugar, coconut palm sugar or other sugar of choice
- 1/2 cup cocoa (unsweetened; not Dutch processed)
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup sour cream, dairy or soy (or plain coconut, soy or rice yogurt) – room temperature
- 2 large eggs (or favorite egg substitute – room temperature
- 1/2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar (or use white vinegar)
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup hot water
- Powdered sugar to dust on top
Instructions
Measure out 1/2 cup dried lentils, rinse, and add to 1 1/4 cups of water in a medium sized pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover.
Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed, and the lentils are tender but not yet broken apart. Drain in a colander.
Using a large food processor, blender or potato masher, briefly pulverize the drained lentils until they form a purée – they should be the consistency of pumpkin purée. Add water by the tablespoon if it is too dry; it will set up as it cools, so don’t add water unless you need to do so.
Measure out 1/2 cup of purée for the recipe, cover and place the purée in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Preheat oven to 350° F (static) or 325° F (convection).
Oil an 8-inch round pan, then line with parchment paper (oiling the bottom of the pan first helps to keep the parchment in place; the parchment helps you get the cake out easily!).
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat the sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and cooled lentil purée together, then add in with the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the hot water while beating the other ingredients together. The batter will be fairly thin, but should not be watery. Add less water if you think your batter is getting too thin.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then remove the cake by lifting up on the parchment.
To serve, dust the tops of each piece with powdered sugar.
Notes
Be sure to rinse and pick through your lentils before cooking, as they have been found to sometimes contain errant grains of wheat or barley, and other debris. It’s important to clean them well before cooking.
Pin for later!
Wow it looks so moist! I’m making this tonight for sure.
Lentils? Huh. I never would have thought of that. I’m gonna have to be brave and try this.
This looks REALLY good – rich and fudgy. At first, I thought there was a layer of fudgy frosting on top but after closer inspection it’s just the fudginess of the cake – looks nice & moist, too! Mmmmmm!
Yumm! I believe that this is delicious – black bean brownies are so how could this be different? I’m going to try it!
Wow that does look good I shall have to try it once we are all moved in
JULES!!! OMG…This looks & sounds awesome!!!
Kim
Wow! That looks really good. Glad you were able to dislodge the cat so you could get to your notes.
I think this one is at the top of my list for your Pea/Lentil recipes.
this sounds awesome! can’t wait to try it!
I’ve bookmarked this page to try in the very near future. Just one question: which egg substitute is best to use in this recipe?
Ha-ha-ha! I HAVE to do this one – it takes the cake! Ooh, what my church fellowship doesn’t know…
This chocolate cake looks fabulous! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for posting it.
That looks Yummy! Wish I wasn’t at work and could run out and make this now!!!
Sounds like a chocolate cake my husband wouls eat.
Looks good, nobody would know from looking at it what was in it
Jules,
I am dying to try this! It looks like a flourless chocolate cake I have made before. However, I didn’t use lentils in mine. I have had puy lentils and red lentils sitting in my cupboard for months and been afraid of cooking them as I tried to cook them in my rice cooker and they bubbled over into an oozing mass of what resemble porridge.
Wow! I just wish I wasn’t allergic to chocolate. Even my husband would eat this.
Can’t wait to try this. Looks great!
Oh my gosh!!! This looks so good. I can not wait to go out and buy some lentils and try this. I shall never tell them what is in it…lol!!! It just looks so good.
Well, I’ve made chocolate cake out of beets, sauerkraut, black beans, garbanzos and a few other off-beat ingredients, but never lentils. And I love lentils. Brilliant idea! I’m definitely giving some version of this a try!
Melissa
This cake sounds and looks wonderful!!! I cant wait to try it! thanks so much!!!!