Loving the BITE: Cake for Breakfast – Not Your Mama’s Chocolate Cake

If you want your cake and to eat it too, this post is for you. In fact, if you want your cake and to feel great, maintain or obtain a lean cycling weight, and stay satisfied throughout your morning by eating it too, this post is for you.

It’s not your mama’s chocolate cake.

In fact, if may be a bit different than any cake you’ve had. It tastes great AND is dare I say(?), healthy. It takes a few “special” (but now easily obtainable) ingredients. It’s gluten-free, can be dairy-free, and is perfectly appropriate for breakfast, lunch, or a half-portioned daytime snack. Interested?

I thought so. Satisfy your chocolate needs with this one every day of the week!

Recipe of the Week: Delicious Chocolate Breakfast Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• ½ cup raw cocoa powder
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup real maple syrup or raw honey
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 3 Tbsp grassfed (if possible) butter
• 4 cage-free eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup 70%+ cocoa chocolate chunks

Optional Frosting:

• 1 Tbsp peanut butter (or other nut butter)
• 2 (1/2-inch) slices banana
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Combine all dry ingredients (first 5) in a small bowl.
2. Add the maple syrup or honey, melted coconut oil, melted butter, eggs and mix well.
3. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
4. Spoon batter into an 8×8 baking pan, 2 6-inch round cake pans (for a layered cake) or 12 cupcake circles.
5. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes (cakes) or 15 minutes (cupcakes) or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
6. If adding frosting, mix all ingredients, mashing and mixing banana, until at desired consistency.
7. Remove the cake, add frosting just before serving (can also dip into frosting), and enjoy.

Nutrition information (12 servings, with optional frosting): Approx. 351 calories, 23 grams carbs, 6 grams fiber, 9 grams protein.

Training Nutrition: Can be consumed 90-120 minutes before training up to 2 hours…if longer training, I recommend adding additional carbohydrates such as a whole banana. To use as a delicious real-food recovery snack, add extra protein on the side.

Comments:

What seperates this cake from any other and makes it appropriate for a non-dessert meal or snack? In short, it’s the absence of refined carbs and sugars, and the inclusion of protein and healthy fats.  That’s it.

To achieve a switch-a-roo like this, we:

1. First replaced the regular grain-flour with nut and coconut flour. If you’re not familiar with these, they are simply ground nuts and coconut. They are widely used in gluten-free recipes, and with some trial and error can be used in many baked goods. When using coconut flour, you’ve got to be careful to not get over-zealous and use it solely; it absorbs fluids like crazy, and will ruin many recipes if used by itself.  Both are grain-free, gluten-free, good sources of fiber and protein, and are moderately low in carbs.
2. Next, we cut out any refined sugars and depended on the natural sweetness in cocoa and coconut plus moderate amounts of raw/real honey, maple, and high-polyphenol cocoa chunks.  No corn syrups, no sugar, no blood sugar swings.
3. Third, we replaced some butter with coconut oil, used grass-fed cow’s butter, and whole eggs (including yolks) for fats.  We skip the hydrogenated oils found in boxed mixes and stick with the natural fats.

Sounds good to me. This week, have your cake and eat it too. And, my apologies to your mama.

Fuel Your Ride.  Nourish Your Body.