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Celebrating National Chocolate Cake Day

Today is a VERY important, not to mention delicious, holiday: National Chocolate Cake Day! The history of chocolate cake goes back to 1746 when Dr. James Baker discovered how to make chocolate by grinding cocoa beans between two massive circular millstones. Until 1890, chocolate recipes were mostly for chocolate drinks, and its presence in cakes was only in fillings and glazes. In 1886, American cooks began adding chocolate to the cake batter, to make the first chocolate cakes in the US. While it took a few decades to become a mainstream dessert, we’re so happy it’s being recognized with a holiday! 

 

As with most dessert holidays, the Dorai team takes such occasions very seriously and brings our own unique spin. When it comes to dessert, we are constantly on the lookout for delicious, high-quality recipes that use ingredients that are satiating and nourishing. For this year’s National Chocolate Cake Day, we thought we would try something a little different...a more wholesome version of chocolate cake! The recipes we’re trying today swap out a few ingredients for healthier upgrades that can be enjoyed by those who may have trouble digesting some common baking staples. The first is a moist variation of a classic chocolate cake but opts for naturally sweet sugar swaps. The second recipe is Double Fudge Banana Cupcakes from one of our favorite bakers to follow, Kale Junkie. These grain-free cupcakes are super rich and have a light cakey texture that you wouldn’t expect from the ingredient list.   

 

 Classic Chocolate Cake Wholesome Ingredient List 

  •  3 bananas, overly ripe 

  •  1/2 cup greek yogurt (vanilla or plain)

  •  1/3 cup honey

  •  1 tsp vanilla extract

  •  2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

  •  1 large egg

  •  1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can be substituted for gluten-free baking flour, we like Bob’s) 

  •  1/3 cup cocoa powder

  •  1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda

  •  1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

  •  mini chocolate chips for sprinkling on top


We know what you’re thinking. Healthy cake that still tastes good? Sounds scary! We loved that this particular recipe was still moist and full of signature chocolate flavor but has a healthier replacement for butter + sugar. We'll be honest, we did add a healthy sprinkling of chocolate chips and that really finished it off. 

This is the full recipe we followed for the classic chocolate cake can be found here The First Year Blog. 

 

Paleo Double Fudge Banana Cupcakes All-Star Ingredients 

  • 4 ripe bananas

  • 3 eggs ( 3 flax eggs to make vegan)

  • 1/4 cup almond milk (or non dairy milk)

  • 4 tbsp coconut oil melted

  • 2 cups almond flour

  • 3 tablespoons cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

  • 3 tbsp ground flax meal

  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

  • 3/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Another delicious alternative option! Our favorite part about this recipe is that you can throw all of the ingredients into a blender and BOOM you’re done. Healthy + easy = something we can definitely get behind! Let us know what you think and we always love seeing your favorite kitchen creations on Instagram @doraihome 


The recipe for the double fudge banana cupcakes can be found here at Kale Junkie. 

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