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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DPP > Happy Birthday Tobias!

Happy Birthday little man!


Here he is... eating a banana cupcake made with coconut flour and sweetened with bananas, stevia & dates. So simple & good! The recipe came from Elana's Gluten-Free Cupcakes. The only thing that was missing was whipping cream... didn't have enough cream to make any, BUT I made homemade ice cream (maple cinnamon), of course!   ;o)


He LOVED his cupcake, but found the ice cream too cold. LOL!


I know I said I would share the birth story today, but it was a full day for me and I ran out of time.  So, l'll have to do it later! Thanks for your patience!

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Mexican Chocolate Coconut Tres Leches Cake (Gluten-Free!)

I have a confession to make...

I've kept this recipe from you all for 2 years now...

Why? Well, life happened! Moved to Honduras, no internet for 9 months, pregnant with little man and a year of adjust to the cultural shock all rolled together in the last 2 years.

Will you all forgive me? Will you still love me?

Whew! Glad to get that out in the open. I am thrilled to finally get this yummy, moist, rich cake out of my secret files and share it with you all!  ;o)

So... yeah, I made this cake back in Christmas of 2009 when we were living in Costa Rica. I mentioned this cake back when I was doing the Heavenly Sugar giveaway and my friend Katie (who won the giveway) requested the recipe for this cake. So sorry it took this long, Katie! Thanks for understand ;o)

As most of you probably already know... Tres Leches is Three Milks Cake and is a very popular cake among the Latin Americans. I remember having my first taste of it back when we were missionaries at Rancho Sordo Mudo (located in Baja California).

It was sugary, soggy and milky... yeah, I didn't like it.

I would always try a bite whenever a family would bring their kid a Tres Leches Cake for their birthday... hoping there might be one that I would like. No luck.

So, when I got the Heavenly Sugar packet to review and saw the 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk in the box... I knew exactly what I was going to make.

I started looking around online for recipes, I did not see anything that interested me because I wanted to go for something more unique & healthy (of course!) with the flavor and ingredients.

Found NOTHING... well, I did find a couple gluten-free recipes, but they called for all these different kinds of flours that I don't use and weren't exactly healthy.

I started thinking... what about coconut flour?

The coconut flour is PERFECT because all the eggs it calls for creates a wonderful sponge to absorb the tres leches... YES!

That's how I came up with this unique & healthy Mexican Chocolate Coconut...

Chocolate Coconut Tres Leches Cake (Gluten-free!)

Chocolate Coconut Cake
3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
10 eggs, separated
1 cup coconut oil or butter
1 cup raw honey
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cinnamon


Set oven at 325 F. Greased a 9x13 pan and dust with coconut flour.


In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa, sea salt and baking soda. In a large bowl blend together the egg yolks, oil, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients into the large bowl and blend together till smooth (very well combined). 


Put egg whites in a clean glass bowl, sprinkle some lemon juice and beat till stiff peaks form.
Fold egg whites into the batter and be careful not to over mix!


Pour mixture into 9x13 pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Before taking it out, test it with a knife and if it comes out clean… it is done.


Remove cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely. If desired, turn the cake unto a large plate or keep it in the pan.




Tres Leches Sauce
8oz Heavenly Sugar sweetened condensed milk
1 14oz. coconut milk or evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk or cream


Pour milks into a large jar and mix very well. Pour over the cake slowly in sections. Do not pour it all at once!


Note: if the coconut milk is very thick, you will need to water it down till it is the same consistency as regular evaporated milk.




Mexican Chocolate Sauce/Frosting
1 cup dark chocolate
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
1-3 Tbsp raw honey
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt
pinch or more of hot chile powder (optional)


In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and coconut oil or butter. Stir in honey, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and optional chile. Let it cool. Heavily drizzle it over the cake (if desired) and serve!


If you want it more frosting-like… place the sauce in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the freezer and whip the frosting with a hand blender until fluffy and thick. Carefully frost the cake and serve!


Have a wonderful Merry Christmas! Please let me know if you make this... I do hope the recipe with give you the same success I've consistently had over the last 2 years.


My family raved over this cake and I will be making it again this year  ;o)

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Carrot Molasses Mini Muffins (Gluten-free!)

This week is Holy Week here in Honduras... we are taking the week off and spent much needed family time. Our home church was here last week and it was an awesome time of fellowship and encouragement. We miss them and look forward to seeing them this fall when we come state-side. Please stop by the RO4Y blog to read up on what we are doing here.

Anyway...


Are these little muffins adorable? Is my little girl adorable? Sorry, couldn't help it!  :o)


I'm excited to be able to make mini-muffins using my tin mini muffin pans that my mother-in-law got for me. They make fantastic snacks for all of us, especially now that Naomi is going to Kindergarden in the mornings (primarily to learn Spanish). Like clockwork, she asks for her snack exactly at 9:30! She's funny that way  :o)


Anyway, I wanted to make carrot cake in a muffin form using coconut flour. I got this recipe from Elana, but made a few changes... such as adding in some spices, nuts, raisins and molasses to give the muffins that moist, spicy carrot cake style... oh yum!


You will see below that I've given you the option of how much honey and molasses you want to use for the mini muffins. If you don't want a strong molasses flavor than go with 3 Tbsp honey and 1 Tbsp molasses. Using half and half... I found the molasses very light with a  slightly spicy flavor. These yummy guys are sure to please the whole family and are great travel snacks!

Carrot Molasses Mini Muffins

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil, butter or other

2 Tbsp honey (or 3 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp molasses (or 1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup carrots, grated

1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in some lukewarm water and set aside. Grab another bowl and combine coconut flour, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, oil, honey, molasses & vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and blend till very smooth and wet. Drain raisins and fold in carrots, raisins & chopped walnuts.

Grease and powder the mini muffin pans with oil and coconut flour. Spoon in 1 Tbsp of batter into each cup. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes. Let it cool completely before removing it from the cups to insure that it the whole muffin will come out.

Have a great week everybody!

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Chunky Monkey Muffins (Gluten-Free)

I am happy to FINALLY pull these yummy guys out of my files. These easy, delicious muffins are great to travel with! I’ve made these the last few times we’ve traveled and love how nutritious these guys are. Full of fiber and protein, yet lightly sweet to satisfy the sweet tooth… these muffins are fantastic alternatives to the awful, expensive airport food.


Dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and wheat-free… these guys are so good that you wouldn’t even know that they are so healthy too! Each bite just simply melts in our mouths. The last time I made these guys… I chopped up some dark chocolate chips to throw in and it was the perfect touch. You can skip the chopping if you want small gobs of chocolate, but we like the tiny bits and how it spreads evenly throughout the muffins… giving us more chocolate with each mouthful :o)


I usually use coconut oil when I bake, but I have a bucket of palm shortening left from my review and wanted to try it out in baking. I noticed that these muffins were very moist and soft when I used the palm shortening… plus if you are not a big fan of the coconut flavor, palm shortening is a good alternative because it has no flavor.


I usually like to use very ripe bananas and only need 1/3 cup of the coconut sugar paste to lightly sweeten the muffins, but if the bananas are not very ripe… then I increase the sweetener little by little till I get the perfect amount of sweetness. You can use raw honey or other for your sweetener, but I love the coconut sugar for its caramel-like flavor, low GI count and rich source of vitamins and minerals… learn more about this fantastic sweetener!


Now, I want to go whip up a batch of these guys!

Chunky Monkey Muffins (Gluten-free)

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1/3-1/2 cup coconut sugar paste or honey
• 1/3 cup melted palm shortening, coconut oil or butter
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup chopped crispy pecans
• 1/3 cup coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 F and greased the muffin pans.

In a small bowl, mix together coconut flour, sea salt & baking soda. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, coconut sugar, palm shortening, vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet till thoroughly mixed. Fold in mashed bananas, pecans, coconut flakes and chocolate. Scoop batter into muffin tins to 3/4 full, top with more pecans (optional) and bake for 20-30 minutes. When done, let it cool and serve with a big glass of milk!

Please share with me some of your favorite traveling foods!! Hope you will enjoy these guys as much as we do. Let me know what you think and have a wonderful week! Hugs!

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Strawberry Coconut Muffins w/ Strawberry Cream Cheese

Update: Please head over to our RO4Y blog and read about our time in Honduras! We will be posting more over the next few weeks, but it is a start... we are so excited!

Before we talk about these yummy yummy muffins... I want to announce the winners for the Spunky Coconut Cookbook & Organic Evaporated Palm Sugar giveaways!

The winner of the fantastic Spunky Coconut Cookbook is: Ann Marie! Congratulations!! I seriously wish I could give every one of you who entered the giveaway a free copy! This book is simple and inspiring... a must have for those who are trying to live a gluten, dairy & sugar free lifestyle.

Now, the winner to receive a free bag of Organic Evaporated Palm Sugar is: Brittney Harmon! Funny, she's a great friend of mine from CA... Woohoo Brit! Now you must make your chai for me :o)

Now, speaking of gluten, dairy & sugar-free lifestyle... the muffins...

These are THE. BEST. muffins we've had so far made with coconut flour. Oh my! I actually made these girls over a month ago and we've enjoyed them a few more times since then. Since I made them I was trying to decide if I should post these muffins or not... then after a few weeks went by I decided to go for it. Share the love, right?

I made a few changes, but it breaks my heart that I can't claim this recipe completely mine :o) LOL!! I actually found this over at Elana's Pantry, she made them with blueberries.... which can be bought here at a "gringo" grocery store for a whopping $12 a bag (a very small bag & Dole brand) of frozen non-organic blueberries. No thanks, I'll just stick with a local fruit that is in season... strawberries!!

Yes, I did mentioned that strawberries pretty much grow year around here in Costa Rica, but they are at their peak time right now. Thankfully, I found a source of organic strawberries because they are listed on the Dirty Dozen. I've been buying 2 kilos every week now and storing them away in the freezer for smoothies and baked goods. I am so glad to have strawberries around now that mangos are not in season anymore. I was going crazy for a few weeks trying to find something to replace my mango addiction... yeah, it was tough :o)

Anyway, the reason why I say that these muffins were the best we've had is because I've tried 2 other muffin recipes that call for coconut flour. They tasted good, but had a very heavy and dry texture. Elana's muffins are light & fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness. I'm sure the blueberries taste wonderful, but the strawberries were fantastic with just the right amount of tartness to balance the mellow sweet flavors of the coconut flour. We've been enjoying them for breakfast topped with Strawberry Cream Cheese and we were surprised to find them very filling. My girls loved them and chowed them down, but Tabi's favorite is the cream cheese... she couldn't keep her fingers away even while I was taking pictures of the extras:

See how she dug her finger in there?! I was scolding her while she was sitting there waving that cute little finger over the muffins. She had on the this adorable mischievous face and was giggling like crazy... finally she snuck her finger in there while I was snapping away. I decided to just go with the flow and kept snapping away while she licked her finger and dung back in for some more. Then, Naomi sneaked over and decided to join in on the fun with the other muffin! My girls are so fun and crazy:

She got one last strawberry cream cheese finger coated lick... I took them away...

then we ate them :o)

Strawberry Coconut Muffins

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen & chopped

In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda.

In a large bowl, mix well the eggs, raw honey, coconut oil and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients into the wet, blending with a hand mixer or simply with your hand and a fork. Gently fold in strawberries.

Place batter in paper lined muffin tins OR oil small individual glass bowls and pour batter in about 1/2 - 3/4 full.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Take them out and let them cool and serve topped with Strawberry Cream Cheese.

Strawberry Cream Cheese

1 cup homemade cream cheese (store bought is fine)

1 cup chopped strawberries, fresh or frozen

1 - 3 Tbsp raw honey

Put everything in a blender or food processor and blend till smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. When muffins are ready... generously top each muffin and enjoy!

So YUMMY! I wish I could go make some right now, but we are taking off tomorrow to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica with my in-laws. They wanted to take us there for Christmas and I am excited to explore the food over there. We will be back next week and hopefully I will have time to share about our time before we take off to the states...

Have a great week!

This is part of the Real Food Wednesday hosted today @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

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