CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Happy Monday!

This cake was for a new years day get together. It screams "2014, a great year to sparkle & shine!" but it also screams "I'm delicious, chocolatey, and healthy!"

It's a win win if you ask me.

Over the holidays I didn't fall under the bandwagon. That means I didn't end up eating unhealthy foods, I ate like I usually do with a few occasional sweet treats. However, every sweet treat I had was an incredibly healthy alternative.

It's high in calories but these calories are coming from good ingredients versus bad ingredients. I'd rather have a nice slice of healthier chocolate cake than a bag of potato chips that have been fried.

If you know me, or don't, you'll figure out soon that I love all things sparkly, shiny, gold, pink, and fun. This cake was all of that.

Sprinkles make everything look prettier & so much more party like! But rainbow sprinkles?! Bring it on!

I mean just look at all that prettiness! How could you deny this cake?! (careful not to lick the screen, anyone who catches you would think you're insane)

I felt so successful with this recipe in more than one ways and yes, the rainbow sprinkles had a lot to do with it.

Remember my "Skinny Peppermint White Chocolate Brownies" ? Remember how they were made of black beans?

Yea...I've been on a black bean recipe kick lately...and they've all been successful!

If you haven't made any of my black bean dessert recipes because you're a skeptical like I was, I don't blame you. However, I am begging you to try just one recipe out! They're so delicious!

This chocolate fudge cake is my favorite so far, it's incredibly & sinfully delicious. So delicious that I packed the leftovers for lunch as dessert.

This cake is so good that my cousins 12 year old picky eating son absolutely raved about it.

;)

What can I say, I'm a black bean dessert master.

Just in case I haven't persuaded you yet, here's the inside of this beautifully delicious cake

I haven't even talked about the frosting!

Simon is my all time go to taste tester because he's a man...and men will eat almost anything, so long as they don't know what's really in it.

So I kept asking him while he ate his big ol piece of cake if the frosting tasted good and if it was good enough to put up on the blog. After he finished the cake he decided that he did like the frosting and that it was good enough to put up on the blog.

So I finally told him what was in the frosting and he just stared at me...because he hates sweet potatoes.

That's right, sweet potatoes. If you didn't think I was crazy enough already by making a black bean cake, you'll definitely think I'm some crazy lady with absolutely zero taste buds.

Don't leave just yet. You can't taste the sweet potatoes because they're masked by chocolate. It's a tad bit softer than frosting and less sweet (which is always a plus for me because I hate really sweet things)

If you have a major sweet tooth, you can use a different frosting. But if you're looking for something sweet & healthy this recipe is SO for you because when you're done licking your fork, plate, fingers, and going back for seconds (or thirds, no one's judging) then you won't feel guilty eating this good for you cake!

Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Author: Shape Up To Wake Up

Serves: 25 [small slices]

Gluten free & vegetarian chocolate cake that requires just a leap of faith & fearlessness. Healthy, easy, & delicious - the best kind of dessert!

Author: Shape Up To Wake Up

Makes: One 6" round cake, three layers

Serves: 25 small slices

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 (15 oz) cans of black beans, rinsed & drained well
• 9 eggs
• 9 Tbsp. coconut oil, solid form
• 12 Tbsp. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
• 3 pinches of salt
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups honey
• 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Frosting Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked sweet potatoes (about 2 large sweet potatoes)
• 4 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup melted semi sweet chocolate
• 8 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. Silk coconut milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. chocolate extract

Cake Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease three 6 inch round cake pans with solid coconut oil.
3. In a food processor or blender, blend all of the cake ingredients together until blended well. Scrape the food processor or blender as needed.

Frosting Instructions:

1. Place a medium to large pot filled with water on the stove and boil the water.
2. Peel your sweet potatoes and dice them into cubes. 
3. Place your potatoes into the pot of boiling water and let the potatoes boil until they become soft enough to mash. Don't mash them yet.
4. Drain the water from the pot and mash your sweet potatoes with a wire whisk or potato masher. 
5. Place the warm mashed sweet potatoes into a food processor and process some more so that you can achieve a smooth consistency similar to frosting.
6. Place the rest of the frosting ingredients with the warm sweet potatoes and process until all of the ingredients are blended well.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 321. 4 Fat: 11.1 g Carbohydrates: 56.1 Sugar: 43.9 Sodium: 366 mg Protein 5.8 g

Tips & Tricks:

*When blending the cake ingredients, place the beans at the bottom of the food processor or blender so that they can be the first thing that gets blended.

*For the frosting, if you don't have a food processor you may need to cut the recipe in half so that it is a smaller batch and can blend better. Blend the other half after the first batch is blended well and then just place the two batches together in a bowl and use a spatula to blend the two together.