Sourdough Chocolate Fudge Cake

Okay, by now you all know I’m becoming obsessive with this whole idea of making my recipes with 100% sourdough starter. Things have been turning out so nicely that I can’t stop! 🙂

This week I decided to give sourdough cake a whirl. I’m so glad I did too! This cake turned out delicious, chocolatey, and super-duper healthy. And topped with a healthIER Buttercream Frosting is enough to make me swoon! I can seriously say I don’t feel a bit guilty when indulging in this one!

Sourdough Chocolate Fudge Cake
1/2 c. coconut oil, or butter warmed just enough to melt
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. sourdough starter
2 T. stevia powder or 3/4 c. cane sugar
1/2 t. celtic sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. heaping cacao powder (cocoa powder will work too)
1/2 c. buttermilk or sour milk (you can also use coconut milk if you need to be casein-free)

Directions:

1. First off, you’re going to need to grind some fresh wheat and feed your starter. You’ll want to feed the starter about 12 hours before you begin this recipe so that it’s good and full of air bubbles.

2. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. and grease a 9×13 cake pan.

3. Combine the just warmed butter or coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add the sourdough and mix well.

4. Add in the dry ingredients: stevia or sugar, sea salt, baking powder and soda, and cacao powder.

5. Slowly add the buttermilk last. Add just enough to get a nice cake-like batter. If your starter was a little more hydrated when you started you may not need to add all of the milk. I add just enough to make the batter form a few little plops when it falls off the spoon.

6. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Bake for 45 min. or until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean.

7. When the cake is done, let it cool for about 10 min. while you whip up the frosting (recipe below).

Healthier Buttercream Frosting
1 c.  softened butter or coconut oil
1/3 c. cacao powder (cocoa powder will work too)
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
1/4 c. cane sugar or about 1 T. stevia powder (use stevia to taste – a little goes a long way and depending on your brand of stevia, you may need more or less. Go easy. ;))

toppings: grated unsweetened chocolate, coconut flakes, and chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Mix softened butter, cacao powder, extracts, and cane sugar. Spread evenly over cooled cake.

If you use coconut oil, you can make the frosting in two ways:

1. firm coconut oil: Combine ingredients and whip together with a fork. (Don’t use a hand blender as the friction and heat will melt the oil. ;)). It warms slightly as you whip it and will blend nicely together.

2. melted coconut oil:  Combine ingredients. Pour over a still warmed cake and let it soak in for about an hour. You can refrigerate the cake which will harden the coconut oil and make it more like eating a cake-like Chocolate Coconut Cubes or leave it on the counter for a moister cake like the one pictured above.