14
Dec

Cranberry Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

A piece of Cranberry Chocolate Gingerbread Cake for the holidays!

Cranberry. Gingerbread. Dark Chocolate. That's a lot of different holiday flavors in one cake, but I assure you they come together to create the quintessential Christmas taste, Cranberry Chocolate Gingerbread Cake. You may notice in the ingredient list that there is no molasses, which you would typically see in gingerbread, but I have recreated the tastes with the use of low-glycemic coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, and a hefty dose of ginger.

I have a hard time digesting high levels of free-fructose, so I typically stay away from molasses despite it's high mineral content and health benefits. To understand different types of sugars and why I tend to use raw honey, pure maple syrup, and coconut sugar take a look at this article from Mark Sisson.

I love this time of the year. Baking in my kitchen and creating new recipes with the seasonal flavors is one of my most favorite traditions. Sadly, this year I have not had nearly as much time as I would have liked to create and share recipes with you, but this one is surely a winner and can even be made into mini loaves to make and distribute with love to your friends and family. It's moist, full of flavor and easy to prepare. Make a small jar of my chai tea concentrate to go with it, and you have the perfect homemade gift!

*Note – if you plan to serve cranberry compote over top of the cake, you will need to double the amount used in step 2 and reserve half of it when you do the swirl.

If you really like the flavor of molasses and want to include it in this recipe, you could probably substitute the 1/4 cup of maple syrup in the batter for molasses.

Cranberry Chocolate Gingerbread Cake



AUTHOR:

SERVES: 10

Cuisine: American

Category: Desserts

PREP TIME: 20 mins

COOK TIME: 30 mins TOTAL TIME: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan with coconut oil or butter and fit a circular piece ofparchment paper at the bottom of the pan.
  2. Cook the cranberries and ½ cup of maple syrup in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the berries have popped. Mash them slightly with the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, melt the butter, remaining ¼ cup maple syrup, and ½ cup coconut crystals until the sugars are dissolved, about 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Add the 4 eggs, unsweetened almond butter or sunflower butter, coconut flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, ginger, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon, sea salt and cardamom to a blender or food processor. Blend for 30 seconds on high until fully combined and smooth.
  5. Add the melted butter mixture and blend again for 30 seconds.
  6. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
  7. Drop spoonfuls of the cooled cranberry compote and chocolate chunks all around the pan, then swirl with a knife until mostly incorporated.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  9. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before serving. Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
  10. Serve with additional cranberry compote and coconut milk whipped cream if desired. Note: You will need to make a double batch of the cranberry compote if you plan to serve it overtop.

 



Keywords: dairy free, dessert, gluten free, holiday, paleo, Christmas