Merry Minty Chocolate Peppermint Cake {grain-free & honey-sweetened}

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to a great New Year!

Did you miss me?

This pass month was a busy time of ministry, birthdays, family visiting and Christmas. So, I decided to take a step back from my blog and computer in general.

I really needed that break.

Now, I am slowly coming back. Not sure how often I will be blogging, but I want to take a different approach with my blog.

I want to try to write more about my life as a deaf missionary mama and share about other things besides food. I am even thinking about moving over to my own domain and stuff... soon, hopefully.

Okay, enough about me and the blog.

Let's talk about this cake...

Cool, creamy, minty, rich and so nourishing... this cake is simply divine, easy to make, loaded with healthy fats & protein and deliciously grain-free.

Plus, everything about this cake is, well... minty. The cake is minty, the frosty is minty and crushed peppermints topping it off, making it literally a "merry" minty cake.

I had so much fun making this cake... and eating the leftover frosting with crushed peppermints on a big spoon.

Oh, yes I did do that. Yum.

My mouth just tingles thinking about it!

I have to tell you that this frosting only requires THREE ingredients... butter, chocolate chips and peppermint extract. Or for those who need it to be dairy-free... thick full-fat coconut milk, chocolate chips (Enjoy Life is dairy-free) and peppermint extract.

Can you believe that?! Totally fail-proofed and guaranteed to whip up beautifully, oh yesss. That's my kind of frosting. 

To be honest, I typically shy away from making cakes and frostings. They never seem to turn out well for me, but I wanted to give it a go this time around because...

It was for my little man's 3rd birthday.

I had to try!

My girls' had lovely rainbow cupcakes for their birthdays this year and I didn't want him to feel that he wasn't special enough to have a cake too.

Plus, I am a baker, for crying out loud! I should be able to make a cake... and frosting!

Anyway...

He was so excited to have a birthday cake. He kept running up to me and saying, "that's MY birthday cake!" and "that birthday cake is for ME!"... then his face would light up with that adorable grin of his that simply melts my heart and I am so sure it will melt the hearts of many young latina girls in the not-so-distance future!

He was especially excited that I was making the cake using two of his favorite flavors... chocolate and peppermint.

Who doesn't love that combination?! Chocolate and peppermint are one of those matches made in heaven... along with chocolate & orange... chocolate & cherry... chocolate & almond...

Okay, pretty much everything tastes amazing with chocolate and my family loves anything with chocolate!

I even have a secret addiction to Trader Joe's variety of chocolate cover fruits and nuts... good thing I have enough self-control to buy only one box  (or two) when I am there once a year and live far enough away that I can't buy any on a regular basis. Ha!

Anyway, the peppermints I used for this cake are from Trader Joe's... brought down via my mother-in-law, but you can buy natural peppermints from this awesome Natural Candy Store. I am planning to doing a little shopping there this week! (psst- if you buy some candy through that link... I will get a $5 gift certificate to buy some candy for my kiddos! Thanks!)

Okay, enough about the chocolate and peppermint.

There are a few other ingredients that really takes this cake up a few more notches, nourishing-wise...

Coconut flour.

Eggs.

And butter. Lots of butter.

All three ingredients required for a growing little man to keep him strong, healthy and smiling that adorable grin.

Now, I think it's time to head into the kitchen and make another one of these double-layer Merry Minty Chocolate Peppermint Cake for our New Year celebration... you should do the same. I'm sure you have some leftover peppermint candies lying around that need to get used up  ;)

Merry Minty Chocolate Peppermint Cake

(grain-free & honey-sweetened)

3/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
3/4 cup cacao powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
8 eggs
3/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted (plus more for greasing pans)
1 cup honey
1/2 cup milk (regular or coconut)
1/4 cup strong coffee (or coffee substitute)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 Tbsp peppermint extract
Chocolate Peppermint Frosting (recipe below)
Crushed peppermint candy

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
3. Mix together coconut flour, arrowroot, cacao, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt in a small bowl and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with whisk attachment, whisk the eggs.
5. Add oil/butter, honey, milk, coffee, ACV or lemon juice and peppermint. Continue to mix until combined.
6. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until ingredients are incorporated.
7. Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides (you might need to do this a couple times).
8. Turn mixer back on and beat on high speed for about one full minute to make the batter fluffy.
9. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
10. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Check at 25 minutes with a toothpick... it should come out with a few moist crumbles. Don't overbake or the cake will be dry. If it is still too moist, bake for another 2 to 5 minutes (the cake was perfect at 27 minutes for me).
11. Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the sides of the cakes from the pans and turn them out onto the wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Peppermint Frosting

2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups butter or full-fat coconut milk
2 tsp peppermint extract

1. In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over medium low heat. Stirring frequently to keep from burning.
2. When melted, turn of heat and stir in peppermint extract.
3. Let it cool completely and chill in the fridge until solid.
4. Remove from fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. You will have to eye-ball this as you don't want it too warm that it becomes more of a gooey mess, but you don't want it too firm that it just balls up inside the whisk.
5. Scoop the mixture into a mixing bowl and beat on medium for about 2 minutes or until light in color and fluffy.

Using coconut milk:
Chill can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight. When ready, open can and pour off the water (save it for smoothie or toss out). Scoop only the solid white coconut cream into a medium pot. Add the chocolate chips and follow the instructions listed above.


Putting together the cake (the fun part!):

1. Carefully move one of the cakes unto a serving plate of your choice.
2. Top it thickly with Chocolate Peppermint Frosting and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy (don't be shy with this!).
3. Carefully put the second cake on top and top it off with the rest of the frosting.
4. Sprinkle more crushed peppermint candy.
5. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful New Year!

This post is part of the Nourishing Progressive Dinner for the Holidays. Please check out what these bloggers have whipped up for this special event! 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but I will receive a small commission. The commissions I receive goes to support my family, our ministry and helps keep my blog going. Thank you for your willingness to use the links to support us & help me keep Just Making Noise going!

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10 Favorite Chocolate Sweets For Your Valentine's Day

How many of you know the real story behind Valentine's Day?

This somewhat international holiday wasn't always about love, chocolate, strawberries and everything else that goes with Valentine's Day.

According to the Wikipedia, "St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius. Legend states that before his execution he wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her. Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6th and July 30th, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).

The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards."

Hmm, this is very interesting. There seems to be a pattern here... most of the holidays we celebrate start off as a Christian celebration to remember important people, but later became celebrations that have nothing to do with the true meaning of the holiday. Christmas and Easter are two examples of that... Santa Claus and Bunnies? Where did they come from?

Now that I know the real story behind Valentine's Day... I plan to tell my kids the real story behind this holiday.

Of course, we will still celebrate this holiday with some yummy chocolate sweets! Plus, it is my Daddio's birthday... but he usually requests a carrot cake, his all-time favorite.

I will make him my rustic sourdough carrot cake... along with a chocolate tart that I have been experimenting with. Will share that with you when its ready!

So... today I am sharing with you my top 10 favorite chocolate sweets. Hope you enjoy them!!

 Double Chocolate Velvet Pancakes

(sugar-free & dairy-free option)

Tip: Instead of using the Banana Love Sauce... top it with strawberry cream cheese and serve it with more fresh strawberries!

Aquacate del Chocolate

(sugar-free, gluten-free & diary-free)

Tip: Serve with fresh strawberries. If you are throwing a party... serve this smooth, delicious pudding in avocado shells and top with strawberries & coconut flakes!

 Chunky Strawberry Chocolate Ice Cream

(diary-free & sugar-free options)

 Flourless Chocolate Almond Cookies

(gluten-free & diary-free)

 Bizarre Love Triangle Brownies

(sugar-free, gluten-free & dairy-free)

 Chocolate Coconut Sourdough Cake

Tip: Serve with fresh strawberries on top!

 Strawberry Cacao Milkshake

(sugar-free & diary-free option)

 Strawberry Coconut Muffins w/ Strawberry Cream Cheese

(gluten-free, dairy-free & sugar-free)

Tip: I know this isn't chocolate, but drizzling some homemade chocolate syrup on top would be just fab with this girlies... or chocolate chips!

Almund Joye Ice Cream

(sugar-free & dairy-free option)

Coconut Custard Cake

(gluten-free, sugar-free & dairy-free options)

Tip: Another none-chocolate recipe, but trust me... add chocolate chips in the batter and serve with fresh strawberries with more chocolate on top... a kiss on the lips goodness!

What are some of your favorite chocolate sweets?

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Sourdough Journal #8: Chocolate Coconut Sourdough Cake w/ Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich... tangy... moist... amazingly good.


I can't get over how easy it was to make it! For so long I always thought that sourdough seemed... complicated and a lot of work. Boy, I was so wrong! I am SO grateful for the gals who put together the Sourdough eCourse... they made it so simple and easy.


Now, look at what I've made... a sourdough starter from scratch, crackers, pancakes, tortillas, muffins, pizza, cornbread and now a chocolate CAKE!

Yeah, it tasted just as yummy as it looks!


I doubled the recipe and made a 2-layer cake with homemade cream cheese frosting. I made so much frosting that it almost seemed more like a cheesecake than plain old cake! My oldest, Naomi, loved the frosting so much that she ate it all off her cake and was too full to even finish the cake. LOL!

Chocolate Coconut Sourdough Cake w/ Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup sourdough starter (fed in the last 12 hours)
1 cup coconut milk (or other milk)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1 cup coconut oil, butter or both (lightly melted)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa powder (preferably not Dutch processed)
1 tsp finely ground coffee (optional)
2 eggs


Mix together the starter, coconut milk and wheat flour in a large bowl. Cover and let it sour for 5 to 8 hours.


Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9x13 cake pan or two 8"-9" cake pans with butter or oil and set aside.


In a different bowl, mix together sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, sea salt, baking soda, cocoa powder and coffee. Add eggs and beat it up well. Combine the sourdough mixture with the chocolate batter. Mix till smooth and pour into prepared pan(s).


Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Test with a toothpick in the center to see if its done. Remove from oven and let it cool completely before tipping them onto a plate.


Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting


1 cup homemade cream cheese (store bought is fine too!)
1/2 cup raw honey (more or less)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
Coconut flakes


Whip together everything except the coconut flakes in a blender or food processor till smooth. 


If you are doing a 2-layer cake, tip out the first cake onto a plate and spread with frosting. Tip out the second cake on top and spread frosting on top and the sides. Sprinkle heavily with coconut flakes. Serve and enjoy!


TIP: This cake is great at room temperature, but my family loved it cold. They said it was like having ice cream cake  :o)

See! So easy! Hope you try this sometime. Great for all those summer barbecues with friends and family  :o)

By the way: I updated my recipes page. Hopefully I will stay on top of that from now on!

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