This recipe was born of a brownie craving. After perusing various paleo brownie recipes online, I decided to make up my own using a mix of what I had read. My trick was to swap out a few ingredients and add in protein powder to make it a healthier version, while still satisfying that chocolate craving.
What I ended up with was the moistest, fluffy, and most amazing paleo chocolate cake — not brownies! WOW! This one is going to be made for every birthday cake at our house. This recipe will make one 8×8″ cake. If you want to do a layer cake, I suggest doubling the recipe and using two round pans.
Paleo Chocolate Cake
This recipe was born of a brownie craving. What I ended up with was a moist, fluffy and amazing paleo chocolate cake -- not brownies! WOW!
Ingredients
- 2 plantains
- 3 pastured eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/3 cup chocolate protein powder (you can also substitute hemp protein or cocoa powder)*
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- Optional: sometimes I like to give my chocolate treats a mocha flavor. When I do this, I just add one packet of my favorite coffee to the mix. This stuff is a super healthy mushroom coffee, so it makes the chocolate treat a healthy mocha treat!
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a food processor, combine everything but the chocolate chips and process until smooth.
3. Grease a glass baking dish, or brownie pan.
4. Add chocolate chips to the batter and stir until combined.
5. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle with more chocolate chips.
6. Eat the leftover chocolate chips, it's okay I gave you permission!
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the center is not jiggly when you shake the pan.
8. Enjoy topped with homemade whipped cream, dusted with cocoa, or drizzled with Paleo Ganache.
Notes
Learn how to melt raw honey here.
Make your own homemade whipped cream here.
Make your own homemade chocolate ganache here.
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24 Replies to “The Best Paleo Chocolate Cake Ever”
Yay! Happy accidents are the best. Now, we have an awesome brownie and cake recipe. Sah-weet.
Would regular bananas work instead of plantains?
Julie, yes they would work but there would be a stronger banana flavor. Which is just fine. But, I wanted this one to taste like chocolate cake 🙂
Is there a reason for the protein powder? Any substitutions for those who never really have it on hand?
Brian, I just used the protein powder to give it a little added protein. You can just use cocoa powder instead.
I made it this weekend. Awesome!
Should the plantains be ripe or unripe, yellow or green?
Wait a min… Not to be a negative nelly but whey is dairy 🙁 nothing against good grassfed dairy but this recipe isn’t quite dairy free. I wonder if hemp protien could be sub-ed?
You are right, wow my pregnancy brain is bad lately! Hemp protein or brown rice protein could definitely be substituted. I will go back and edit. Thanks!
Ripe or unripe plantains???
Ripe plantains
if you are used to making cakes and baked goods with white wheat flour, the texture of plantain based baked goods will never be the same. for people who have allergies and have not had anything baked with traditional wheat flour in a long time this is probably the best chocolate cake like thing ever. just sayin.
I just made these and they turned out wonderfully! I have an egg allergy so I subbed out with 3 “flax eggs” and it did not rise as much as the picture as I’m sure you can imagine, but they were definitely tasty as brownies, rather than a “cake” per se. Very decadent!
Awesome! I love it when modifications turn out well 🙂
Love your site, thanks in advance for all the work your doing and sharing!!
I don’t have access to plantains, but I have plantain flour, would that work and how much you think I would have to use?
Hi Kim! Thank you!!!! I am not sure how to sub the flour as that would be subbing a dry ingredient for a wet ingredient
I used 3/4 cup apple sauce instead of plantains, reduced the cocoa/protein to 1/4 cup of cocoa and added 2 Tablespoons of coconut flour.
Great recipe. Had to double to make 1.5 dozen cupcakes, but they turned out beautiful!
Awesome Holly! Good to know that you can sub applesauce! 🙂
Silly question, but how do you determine when the plantain is ripe?