A chocolate cake as good as sex?

Which is better, chocolate cake or sex? I know, depending on the mood this can be a tough choice, but just wait till you see this recipe.

A few years back I was reading one of those silly off the shelf woman’s magazines (as we ladies like to do) when I came across a recipe for a chocolate cake containing  boiled orange. Now, I love the combination of chocolate and orange, but I didn’t want all that white flour and sugar. I love my treats, but they have to taste great AND be full of good stuff! …So, I started experimenting.

Here is the result of my tinkering, an absolute killer chocolate cake recipe with some holiday spice and rum.

Yes, you could leave out the booze, but I don’t recommend it. When desert’s this good, you can easily have your cake and great sex too! In fact, the rum is only going to help you get lucky.

Now, on to the chocolate bliss!

For the cake you’re going to need…

• 1 large, juicy orange
• 220g of almond flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 4 large Medjool dates, depitted
• 1/4 cup of coconut nectar, maple syrup or honey (if you prefer you can double the quantity of this and omit the dates).
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (50g) of raw, sifted cacao powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons of rum or whisky
• 8inch/20cm round cake tin

Method

1. Boil the orange in water for one hour or until soft.
2. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
3. Chop the boiled orange (ensure all seeds are removed but leave the skin on) and add to a blender and blitz to a pulp. Smells amazing!
4. Add the dates, syrup, vanilla and rum and blitz again. Add the eggs and pulse.
5. Add all other ingredients except the almonds and cocao and pulse.
6. Add the almond flour and cocao and mix through to form a batter. (If you are using almond meal, there might be lumps of almonds. I like this but if you prefer a smoother texture, add the nuts to the blender first and grind them to a fine meal).
7. Grease the cake tin with butter or oil. Spoon in the batter and bake for around an hour until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine varies between an hour and an hour and 15 minutes. It should be firm to the touch.
8. Leave the cake to cool in the tin before removing.

For the mind blowing chocolate ganache…

Option 1 

• 3/4 cup of maple syrup or coconut nectar
• 3/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil, melted
• pinch of salt

Method

Add all of the above to a blender and blitz until it forms a paste. It might need to be placed in the fridge for it to firm to a spreadable texture.

Option 2 

• 8oz of good quality dark chocolate (70% plus cacao)
• 8fl oz/230ml of heavy cream (also called whipping or double cream)

Method

Heat the cream and chocolate together, melting the chocolate. Whip until it is spreadable. If you have over heated the mixture, you might need to wait until it cools for it to thicken.

My kids prefer option 2, but I’m indifferent. Both are equally good.

Notes

Raw cacao contains, amongst other things, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, zinc, iron, copper, potassium, manganese, antioxidants, vitamins B1, B2 and E, healthy fat, protein and fibre. Wow!

It’s also said to help…

• Lower blood pressure and improve circulation (check the flavanols and theobromine);
• Promote cardiovascular function;
• Improve digestion (stimulates the body’s production of digestive enzymes; just what you need when eating nuts!); and
• Enhance mental well-being. It can also help improve the quality of your sex life, really!

I hope you enjoy the cake.

Virginia

For more

• Want more killer performance-recipe ideas? Don’t miss Virginia’s excellent blog, Moozlers.
• Need more help sorting out your nutrition and fueling? Make sure to check out the Faction Foods Nutrition Course HERE.