Coconut Chocolate Cake Made With Chickpea Flour (GF)

Free from egg, dairy, wheat, gluten and refined sugar, this is a rich and flavoursome coconut chocolate cake made with chickpea flour. It’s pretty healthy as far as cakes go. Think chocolatey but not too sweet with a dense but satisfying texture.

The theme of this month’s Clandestine Cake Club was free as a bird. I have to say, I was somewhat stumped by this and the best I could come up with was a free to make whatever I liked cake.

The theme for this month’s We Should Cocoa is gluten free, so that got me wondering. I’d also been sent some coconut oil and coconut nectar to use from Cocofina. You can find the review in my tropical smoothie post.

Suddenly it all clicked into place and I would do a free from cake – free from gluten, free from dairy, free from eggs and free from sugar (sugar in the everyday sense anyway).

We Should Cocoa

Last month’s We Should Cocoa was my inspiration. It included chocolate chickpea cupcakes from Janet over at The Taste Space, which I found rather intriguing. It just so happened that I had a bag of chickpea flour in the cupboard that was waiting for just the right opportunity.

This was it, my gluten free cake would be made from chickpea flour. I was also rather pleased with my £1 chocolate cake, so thought I’d go to the other extreme and make a very expensive cake, but one inspired by that one.

Clandestine Cake Club

When I found out that our Cornwall Clandestine Cake Club meeting was at The Baking Bird in Truro, I realised why the bird theme had been chosen. You can see from the picture that other interpretations of the theme were a little more sophisticated than mine.

The cafe come bakery was spacious and attractive with a fabulous view of the next door cathedral spires from the upstairs windows.

As well as eating far too much cake, we had a quick masterclass in rose piping on cupcakes. I was somewhat miffed that CT did a near perfect one at his first ever attempt at piping, whereas mine was much less successful. Still, at least I got to eat my mistake.

To complete the bird theme we tweeted furiously for Cornwall Hour – when cake munching allowed. Thanks go as always to our excellent CCC organiser Ellie Michell for another splendid event.

Gluten-Free Coconut Chocolate Cake

I was a little concerned that the chickpea flour would make the cake overly bitter; it certainly seemed quite bitter when I tasted it raw. Luckily the cooking process transformed it.

In CT’s words it was a satisfying cake: rich, filling and not too sweet. The chickpea flour gave it a very distinctive taste, but not an unpleasant one. The coconut flavour came through and gave the cake a certain unctuousness which prevented it from sliding into 70s whole food worthiness.

Other Recipes For Gluten-Free Bakes You Might Like

• Almond toffee brownies
• Amaretti (vegan)
• Apricot almond cake with sticky pistachio nut topping
• Chocolate coconut cannellini cake (vegan)
• Lemon tiffin bars
• Tiger nut chocolate chip cookies (vegan)

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this gluten-free coconut chocolate cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?

If you’d like more gluten-free recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.

Choclette x

Gluten Free Coconut Chocolate Cake. PIN IT.

Chickpea Coconut Chocolate Cake – The Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Coconut Chickpea Cake

Free from egg, dairy, wheat, gluten and refined sugar, this is a rich and flavoursome cake made with chickpea flour – chocolatey and not too sweet.

Cook ModeToggle to keep screen awake

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: cake, chickpea flour, chocolate cake, dairy free, gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan

Servings: 10 slices

Calories: 255kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

• 70 g coconut oil softened
• 130 g coconut sugar
• 1 large banana
• 1 tbsp flax (linseed) – ground
• 2 tbsp water
• 200 g gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 1 ½ baking powder (gluten-free)
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 2 tbsp coconut nectar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Chocolate Glaze

• 25 g 100% chocolate
• 20 g coconut oil
• 2 tbsp coconut nectar
• a small handful coconut flakes optional

Instructions

• Soak the linseeds in the water for about 5 minutes until the water has been absorbed and it has gone a little jelly like.
  1 tbsp flax, 2 tbsp water
• Meanwhile, cream the coconut oil and sugar until well combined, then mash in the banana.
  70 g coconut oil, 130 g coconut sugar, 1 large banana
• Stir well, then beat in the soaked linseeds.
• Sieve in the dry ingredients, then add the nectar and vinegar. Stir until just combined.
  200 g gram flour (chickpea flour), 50 g cocoa powder, 1 ½ baking powder, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 pinch sea salt, 2 tbsp coconut nectar, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Spoon into a 23 cm round silicone cake mould or tin and bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for about 35 minutes when the cake should be risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn onto a rack to cool.

Chocolate Glaze

• Melt the remaining coconut oil with the chocolate and nectar in a pan over very low heat.
  25 g 100% chocolate, 20 g coconut oil, 2 tbsp coconut nectar
• Stir until just combined.
• Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, then pour over the cooled cake.
• Scatter some coconut flakes over the top, if liked.
  a small handful coconut flakes

Notes

Makes one 23cm round cake.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 347mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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Most of us now know someone who is gluten intolerant so widening our baking repertoire in that area can only be a good thing. Thanks to Michelle of Utterly Scrummy Food for Families for coming up with the gluten free theme and hosting We Should Cocoa this month. You still have over a week to go if you’d like to join in.

I’m entering this coconut chocolate cake into AlphaBakes where the letter is D this month. With my use of 100% chocolate I am going for D for Dark chocolate. Hosted alternately by Caroline Makes and the More Than Occasional Baker.

I’m also sharing this gluten-free coconut chocolate cake with Helen of Casa Costello for her Bake of the Week.

A slice also goes to Lucy of SuperGolden Bakes for her new blogging event, Cook Blog Share.