I made this chocolate cake for my daughter’s first birthday. I wanted a cake that had veggies hidden in and was flour and refined sugar free. It took around 4 takes to perfect this recipe, but I got there! Everyone at the party loved it and I hope you do too!

Mud cakes are a little more dense than a regular cake. Think of a brownie + cake combined… with a little cookie thrown in.

This recipe works best in a small cake tin (about 6 inches). If you want to make a larger cake or a cake with 2 layers, double the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

4 eggs

1 cup finely grated zucchini (from approximately 1 medium-large or 2 small zucchinis)

1/2 cup cacao powder

1/3 cup coconut sugar or erythretol

1/3 cup sugar free choc-chips (or sugar free chocolate bar cut into choc-chip sized chunks)

1/4 cup coconut oil (if solidified, slightly warm the oil to ensure it is in liquid form)

2 tablespoons vanilla essence

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 C/350F.

Line the bottom of your cake tin with baking paper and then grease the tin with oil or butter.

Place grated zucchini into a dish cloth or nut milk bag and squeeze out excess liquid.

Add eggs to a medium-large bowl and whisk them together.

Add zucchini and all remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir until combined.

Pour mixture into the cake tin and then bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. To test, lightly press the top of the cake and it will spring back up when cooked. Alternatively, place a knife into the center of the cake. The cake should be ready if the knife comes out clean.

Allow cake to sit for approximately 10 minutes to slightly cool and then place a knife around the edge to help separate the cake from the side of the tin. Remove cake from the tin and place onto a cooling rack. Allow cake to completely cool and then decorate as desired. I like to use a sugar free jam, whipped cream and some fresh berries to finish this cake off.