Rae's Chocolate-y Chocolate Cake - Gluten Free! (with dairy free option!)

Here is my gluten-free Chocolate-y Chocolate Cake recipe I made up ...just because sometimes you have to have chocolate cake! This is a wonderful cake with dairy free options, as well as a brownie conversion and filling options as well.

Rae's GF Chocolate-y Chocolate Cake:                                                      Oven:  *350  

1 stick softened butter (to make dairy free use all expeller pressed coconut oil instead)
1/2 cup expeller pressed coconut oil
1 1/2 cups rapadura (coconut palm sugar, or sugar)
3 TBLS organic pure maple syrup
stir until combined
add:
3 eggs
stir
add
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups Pamela's GF Baking mix 
(You can use the GF baking mix of your choice but I highly recommend this one for this recipe)
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
lightly stir and add:
Approx. 2 cups almond milk (or milk of your choice)
add enough milk to make the consistency of cake batter... not too thick, not to watery.

Bake in the pan of your choice. I like a 10" spring form lined with parchment on the bottom and greased on the sides... it comes out beautifully. If you don't use parchment, grease and "flour" with a generous amount of cocoa powder. Bake at *350 until JUST set (this means the center does not wiggle when you shake it). Approx. 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Do not use the toothpick method, you may over cook if the pick comes out clean. Allow to cool about 10 minutes and then turn out onto a baking rack (or if in a rectangle glass baking pan, you can leave it in and frost as is).
*For brownies, eliminate the almond milk and the baking powder, add an extra 1/2 tsp of baking soda.
Bake at 350* until you start to smell them and they are not jiggly... do not over bake!

I like to put the cake in the freezer for a while before moving to the next steps. Once cooled, use a serrated knife to split in half through the center.

Add whipped cream (save about a half cup or so to decorate the top):
1 pint organic whipping cream
3-4 TBSP organic pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp organic vanilla
pinch salt
Add fresh fruit like bananas, blueberries, strawberries or raspberries on the whipped dream layer and save a few for garnishing the top as well!

*Alternate recipes:
-Use your favorite jam, like raspberry, strawberry or blackberry instead of whipped cream for a dairy free option OR mix jam into the whipped cream as well... garnish with the same fruit as the jam.
-Leave out the fresh fruit and instead add peppermint extract to both the cake and the whipped cream, garnish -with mint. 
-Use virgin coconut oil instead of expeller pressed coconut oil for a chocolate coconut version. Add 2 TBSP melted virgin coconut oil into the whipped cream when you whip it. Garnish with toasted coconut... add 1-2 TBSP virgin coconut oil to your pan before toasting coconut for an extra coconut flavor boost! 

Ganache Frosting -
3 cups organic chocolate chips
3/4 cups organic cream
1 TBLS coconut oil
pinch of salt
Melt together stirring until nice and glossy. Spoon onto top of cake allowing some to drip over the sides. YUM! :)

OR:
Optional traditional frosting:
1 1/2 - 2 cups organic powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp organic cornstarch
1 stick softened butter (for dairy free use coconut oil)
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
milk to soften to desired consistency, start with 3 TBSP.
Mix.