My favorite holiday is coming, and it is all about sweets and treats! So, I had to start thinking of things that you all could make for your special Valentines. I think that this holiday should be celebrated all year long, but I go a little crazy with the pink, hearts, treats and glitter from about mid January to February 14th. Valentine's Day is on a Tuesday this year, and who doesn't love a good reason to have dessert on a weekday.....
The main ingredient to this cake is buckwheat flour, and I think that people are on the fence as to if this is a grain or not. It is absolutely gluten free, despite the word wheat in it's name.... When I consulted Google, it said that it comes from a "grain-like" seed....hmmmm grain or seed?!? I am going to focus on the word seed, and call it a day. However, I will only mark this as a "guten-free" treat to be safe.
A few notes on buckwheat flour before we get to the recipe below. I learned the hard way that there are two kinds of buckwheat flour. Light Buckwheat Flour and Whole Grain Buckwheat Flour. YOU WANT LIGHT! The whole grain version is the entire seed ground into flour, and it has tiny black specs in it that will turn your entire batter black! I was making a lovely carrot tart one day, and as I mixed my wet ingredients into the buckwheat flour....it turned black. Had it been Halloween time, this would have been funny. The taste does not change, it is simply an aesthetic For this recipe that would be OK, but for anything that you want to turn out light in color avoid the whole grain version.
On to the cake.....
I should call this the Oprah cake, because...... IT. IS. RICH! Crispy edges and a gooey middle give it a similar texture to brownies, but I would be shocked if you could eat more than a sliver of this at a time. I thought that for sure when I tasted it that Brendan was going to hate it.....this is some serious chocolate flavor. However, he exclaimed it was delicious, and has been sneaking bites of it every time he passes through the kitchen. With his approval....I give you The Oprah Cake! (Let's just call it that now, ok?)
Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Buckwheat Cake
Makes: 1 Round CakeLevel of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
1 Cup + 2 TBS Buckwheat Flour
1 Cup coconut sugar
1 Cup coconut sugar
1/2 Cup Dark Cocoa Powder
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup grass-fed butter, melted
1 tsp Vanilla
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Grease your round cake pan, and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
4. Add in the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until you have a thick batter. (It will be too thick to use a whisk at this point)
5. Pour the batter into the cake pan, and spread it evenly with your spatula.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The edges should be crispy and the middle should be soft like a brownie.
7. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and turn onto cooling rack to finish cooling.
8. Top with berries or fresh whipped cream.
9. Enjoy!
