Chocolate Cake

This is a lovely chocolate cake, light and moist and sweetened just right with date sugar. You will love this!

makes one 8" layer

1 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cup date sugar
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, date sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl with a fork. Be sure there are no lumps.
3. Add the vinegar and vanilla to the water, then pour slowly into the flour mixture while mixing with a mixer.
4. Slowly pour the cooled melted butter into the mixture while mixing.
5. Place in the ungreased pan. The batter will be thick, not liquid like cake batter.
6. Add topping (below) and bake 35-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Serve warm or cool.

TOPPINGS:

• Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, or a mixture of both.
• Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Instead of adding a topping before baking, bake the cake plain and add this frosting after the cake has cooled a bit. This is DELICIOUS on the chocolate cake, and a fine confection in it's own right.

1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup date sugar, OR unrefined cane sugar (such as Sucanat or Rapadura), OR rice syrup
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolk into the cream.
2. Stir in sweetener and vanilla, and add the lump of butter.
3. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture thickens, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 8-12 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, add coconut and pecans, and beat with the wooden spoon until frosting is of spreading consistency. Do not taste until it has cooled a bit, as the sweetener is very hot.
5. Spread on the top of the chocolate cake.
6. Serve warm or cool.

What a treat!