This recipe is a lil’ different than our recent sweets—mainly because it’s gluten-free! As Kim and I transitioned No Eggs or Ham away from lectin-free cuisine, we went all in to gluten laden desserts, because we were tired of compromising quality for healthfulness; we had accepted the fact that we were foodies first.
However, that’s not to say that gluten-free desserts can’t SLAP from time to time. Hell, the best chocolate cake we’d ever made was grain-free! This recipe is a riff off of that OG formula, with a few more bells and whistles to bring things up to our current standards, ya dig?
This dish also differs itself from other recent recipes with the pure fact that it’s simple. You don’t need to know how to proof a dough, perform the creaming method properly, or dirty a bunch of dishes! If you know how to whisk things around and remember that your oven’s on, YOU’LL DO GREAT. So, without further ado, let’s run through a quick overview of this dish and get you baking!
These luscious, lovely, and lulling chocolate cakes are:
- Plant-based, gluten-free, and grain-free
- Decadent, moist, and fluffy
- Holiday-spiced, laced with coffee, and accented by fiery cayenne
- Simple, fuss-free, and quick
- Perfect for potlucks, friendsgivings, and good ‘ole self indulgence
If you like what your eyes are tasting, then share this recipe with your friends on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest at @noeggsorham! For more flame-emoji photos, geeky food talk, and mouth-watering dishes, subscribe to our email list. Tag us in a photo when you create one of our recipes at home so we can share it!
Don’t get your hopes too high, we’re not about to go full health-blog on you guys.
Personal Chocolate Olive Oil Cakes with Cinnamon Espresso Whipped Cream and Cayenne Dust (gluten-free, plant-based)
All the flavors of Mexican hot chocolate in one dessert! Plus some coffee sprinkled throughout, because we're a tad bit obsessed.
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 80 grams (1/3 cup) aquafaba liquid from can of chickpeas
- 7 grams ground flaxseed (1 tablespoon) + 45 grams water (3 tablespoons)
- 112 grams (1/2 cup) olive oil
- 72 grams (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) brown sugar
- 72 grams (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) white sugar
- 142 grams (5 oz) water
- 90 grams (3 oz) full-fat coconut milk
- 14 grams (1 tablespoon) rice vinegar
- 7 grams (1/2 tablespoon) vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
- 132 grams (3/4 cup) green banana flour
- 40 grams (1/2 cup) dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 10 grams (2 teaspoons) baking powder
Espresso Whipped Cream
- 240 grams (1 cup) coconut whipping cream chilled
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Serving
- cayenne pepper
- popcorn
- chocolate drizzle
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease six jumbo muffin tins or six 8-oz ramekins with a touch of vegan butter or olive oil. Place a touch of cocoa powder in a small sifter and lightly dust greased tins. Shake out any excess cocoa powder and set aside.
- In the bowl of a standup mixer with a whisk attachment or a medium bowl with an electric hand whisk, beat aquafaba on high speed until stiff peaks are formed (about 8 minutes), then set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flax egg, olive oil, and both sugars until smooth. Then mix in water, coconut milk, vinegar, vanilla, salt, espresso powder, and nutmeg.
- Sift green banana flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder directly onto wet ingredients and whisk til smooth.
- Stir in half of the aquafaba until it’s no longer visible. Then, gently fold in the second half with a spatula until it’s barely incorporated (a few foamy white spots are okay).
- Fill each tin or ramekin about 7/8 full with batter. For us, that was about 3/4 cup per tin. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean; 22-27 minutes.
- Note: the toothpick should come out tinted brown from chocolate, but not have clumps of batter sticking to it.
- Set muffin tins on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges to ensure cakes are loose, place cooling rack on top of pan, and quickly invert it so the cakes fall onto the rack. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Espresso Whipped Cream: Combine chilled whipping cream, confectioner’s sugar, espresso powder, and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand-up mixer with a whisk attachment (or in a medium bowl with an electric hand whisk) and beat on high until smooth and fluffy—about 3 minutes—scraping down the sides a few times throughout.
- Serving: decorate a plate with a few back and forth drizzles of chocolate syrup, top with cake, dollop on some Espresso Whipped Cream, add a few popcorn kernels, and dust with a very light tap of cayenne pepper. Repeat for remaining cakes!
- If not serving immediately, cover the cakes with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store Espresso Whipped Cream in the fridge for up to 4 days.
P.S. Yes, you really should serve this with cayenne and popcorn. It sounds weird, we know, but it really makes this dish stand out with that extra bang.
NO EGGS OR HAM 