Total Eclipse Carob Date Cake
This recipe produce a dark, moist, chocolate-y carob date cake frosted with a silken tofu creme frosting. What is carob and how is different from chocolate? Is carob lower in calorie than chocolate? Is Carob healthy? Why should I use carob chips? The questions!
With recent studies touting the benefits of unsweetened dark chocolate, why would anyone want to use carob chips? Is certainly isn’t a flavor substitute, although many claim they taste similar. It just tastes “sweet and brown” to us. Perhaps the chief “health” difference between carob and chocolate is what carob lacks — caffeine and theobromine which are stimulants. There are religions and cultural groups which eschew caffeine and this makes carob a nice substitute for a “chocolate type dessert.” Carob doesn’t trigger migraines as chocolate has known to do, and carob is also lower in fat (but you need to watch for increased sugar and other ingredients intended to boost flavor).
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 - 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened carob powder
- 1 tablespoons baking powder (low sodium)
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 tablespoons flax seeds
- 1/2 cup pitted blonde dates (soaked in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes)
- 6 oz. extra-firm silken tofu
- 1 cup Vermont maple syrup
- 1 tablespoons peanut oil
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 cup grain or malt-sweetened semi-sweet chocolate chips or carob chips
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 6 oz. extra-firm silken tofu
- 1/4 cup Agave Nectar (or honey)
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons carob powder, reserved for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
- In food processor or blender, grind the flaxseeds to a fine meal.
- Add 1/2 cup water to flax meal and process until thick and frothy, about 30 seconds.
- Add soaked dates plus the soaking liquid, tofu, maple syrup (or agave), oil and vanilla, and process until almost smooth (leaving some bits of date for contrast, if desired).
- Transfer batter to large bowl.Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients, blending until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between prepared pans.
- Bake until cakes spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool cakes in pans on wire rack 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks, remove pans, and cool completely.
Frosting
- Make frosting in top of double-boiler set over simmering (not boiling) water.
- Melt chocolate or carob chips, stirring until smooth.
- Remove from water and set aside.
- In food processor or blender, finely grind cashews. Add 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth.
- Add tofu, maple syrup and vanilla, and process until smooth.
- Add melted chocolate or carob chips and process until smooth.
- Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
- To frost cake, spread about 2/3 cup frosting over top of one layer.
- Cover with second later and spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
- Use the reserved two tablespoons of carob powder to sift and cover the top and sides of the cake, for a "powdered truffle" look which also helps "set" the creamy tofu frosting
- Cut into wedges and serve.
Spa Index Kitchen Notes
Nutrition
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