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Welcome to Naturally Nina. Accredited nutritionist, and total foodie at heart. Here you will find wholesome and delicious recipes, evidence-based nutrition and health education.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Who doesn't love cake?

Scratch that. 

Who doesn't love cake that tastes delicious AND is healthy enough to eat for breakfast? And did I mention that it's chocolate fudge cake?

With the birthday of a special friend coming up, I thought I'd give it go creating a chocolate cake that not only tastes good, but is also kind to your body and the planet. And this fudgy, gooey cake surpassed even my own expectations. Thanks to a special no-so-secret ingredient, it's perfectly moist with zero need for oil, and packed with fibre, vitamin A and C, manganese and more, even adding to your daily servings of veggies! It's also free of refined-sugar and can easily be made gluten free too.

Vanilla bean coconut yoghurt together with fresh fruit (my top pick will always be fresh berries!) complements the cake perfectly with a balance of creaminess and freshness. So, whether you have a birthday coming up, or just because you deserve a piece of cake (or three), this cake is perfect for anyone and everyone!

Don't forget to tag me on Instagram if you give this recipe a go, I'd love to see your creation! x

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sweet potato, cooked & mashed (around 200g)
  • 1/2 cup apple sauce
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup (200g) flour of your choice (see notes)
  • 1/3 cup cacao or carob powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar (optional, see notes)
  • optional: 1/4 cup vegan choc-chips
  • for decorating: 2/3 cup vanilla coconut yoghurt, fresh fruit

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a cake tin with baking paper
  2. In a blender or food processor, blend together the sweet potato, apple sauce, vinegar, molasses, vanilla and almond milk to make a smooth puree
  3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cacao in a bowl, then gently fold in the puree mixture (and choc-chips, if using), being careful not to over mix!
  4. Pour the batter into your cake tin and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes 
  5. Remove your cake from the tin and allow to cool completely before layering on the coconut yogurt and fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Notes:

  • Store this cake covered in the fridge for a couple of days, however if decorated it's best eaten straight away as the coconut yoghurt tends to not look so pretty anymore after a few hours!
  • I used orange sweet potato
  • Flours that work well for this recipe are spelt, brown rice, buckwheat, wholemeal, and oat. I used a mix of brown rice and buckwheat flours (made by blending the grains in a high powered blender until a fine flour forms!)
  • I find this cake to be sweet enough without the coconut sugar, but feel free to add it if you prefer a sweeter cake! You can also substitute it for 1/2 cup pitted dates, added at step 2
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