Chef AJ's World-Famous German Chocolate Cake
Enjoy my guilt-free World-Famous German Chocolate Cake—layers of chocolatey goodness and coconut bliss, no added oil, sugar, or salt! A guilt-free treat for any occasion!
Servings: 12
Equipment
- High-speed blender optional
- 3 8-inch silicone baking pans
- Double boiler or nonstick sauté pan
Ingredients
The Cake
- 3 cups (approx. 12 oz.) gluten-free BAKING flour (see Chef's Tip)
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cups date syrup
- 2 cups unsweetened plant milk
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 5 ounces (about 1 cup) unsweetened or date-sweetened dairy-free chocolate chips optional
- 1½ tsp. aluminum and sodium-free baking powder
- 1½ tsp. sodium-free baking soda
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean powder
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Filling
- 1 (12.3-ounce) package Mori-Nu Silken tofu, extra firm
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 5 ounces (about 1 cup) unsweetened or date-sweetened dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup date syrup
- ⅜ cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean powder
Frosting
- 3 cups Date Paste
- 5 ounces (about 2 cups) unsweetened coconut medium shred
- 10 ounces (about 2½ cups) chopped, raw, unsalted pecans
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean powder
- whole pecans for garnish
- unsweetened coconut, fine shred for garnish
Instructions
The Cake
- Preheat oven to 325℉.
- Using a high-speed blender, briefly blend the date syrup, plant milk, cocoa powder, applesauce, and vanilla bean powder until ingredients are fully incorporated. If you do not have a high-speed blender, then mix ingredients together in a large bowl using a whisk.
- Next, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and process briefly until flour is incorporated.
- Then add the apple cider vinegar and briefly process again. Do not overprocess.
- Pour batter evenly into three 8-inch silicone baking pans. If desired, divide the cup of chocolate chips and sprinkle 1⁄3 cup over the cake batter of each pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a cooling rack. Then invert cakes onto a plate for assembly.
Filling
- Using a double boiler, or very carefully in a nonstick sauté pan, melt the chocolate chips and date syrup over low heat until melted and velvety smooth, stirring constantly.
- Place the mixture in a high-speed blender, or a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, along with the remaining filling ingredients and blend or process until smooth.
- Place in a bowl and refrigerate until firm.
Frosting
- Place Date Paste, coconut, pecans and vanilla in a large bowl and mix well until all ingredients are fully incorporated. If the rest of the cake is ready to be assembled, you can use this immediately. If not, place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use.
Assembly
- Place half of the filling on one of the cooled cake layers and half of the filling on a second layer. You are making a 3-layer cake, so the order is: one cake layer, half of the filling, the second cake layer, the other half of the filling, and then the third cake layer.
- Using your hands, place the frosting evenly on the cake. I start on the sides and build my way up until the frosting is evenly distributed on all sides and the top. You can wear latex free food service gloves to do this if you prefer.
- Pat the top and sides so that the frosting is evenly distributed over the layers and is smooth and not lumpy.
- Sprinkle unsweetened coconut over the cake. Garnish with whole pecans if you like. You can get them to easily stick to the cake by using a bit of additional Date Paste.
Notes
The flour used in this recipe must be gluten-free baking flour, not simply
the flour of any gluten-free grain like rice or millet. I use Bob’s Red Mill
Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour or King Arthur’s Gluten-Free
Multi-Purpose Flour.
the flour of any gluten-free grain like rice or millet. I use Bob’s Red Mill
Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour or King Arthur’s Gluten-Free
Multi-Purpose Flour.