Happy Valentine's Day lovely people! My boyfriend and I don't really do anything special on Valentine's Day. For us, its just another normal day, however it does give us an excuse to indulge in some chocolate and wine 😉
Now I know what you all are thinking. "Alyssa, you have a boyfriend. Of course you don't care about today. You're not all alone stuffing your face while all the other couples are being all lovey dovey". Well, y'all are wrong! Even if I were single, to me Valentine's Day is just another day.
I honestly believe that we should show love to ourselves and everyone around us, everyday. With that being said, I think today should be called #selflove day! 💕 Whether you're celebrating today with a partner, your friends, or spending it by yourself, today is a day about treating yoself and taking some well deserved me time. Take a bath, do a face mask, pop some champagne, whatever you need to show yourself some love.
Now that my rant is over.... Here's what you all came here for. SOME CHOCOLATE CAKE!!
Remember how I said #treatyoself , well what better way than making yourself (or sharing) some healthy chocolate cake. You can eat the whole thing by yourself, and not feel guilty (lol JK don't do that, unless you want to eat the whole thing. Go ahead with yo bad self, I won't judge 💁🏼♀️).
This cake is everything you need. It's fluffy, chocolate, decadent, and OH SO DELICIOUS! Enjoy it with a glass of almond milk or some champagne like I will 💁🏼♀️ 🍾🥂
You can also make this for your Galentine's Day party to be the envy of all your friends, or make it for your Valentine and it'll knock their socks off 😉
Healthy Chocolate Cake Recipe
For the cake:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola or avocado oil
1 cup strongly brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
1 cup vegan butter, softened
2 powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
~1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray 2 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Dust with cocoa powder, shake out the excess and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg. Mix in sugar, oil, coffee, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix until no dry flour remains.
Pour batter evenly into both pans and bake for 22 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before unmolding.
While cooling, prepare frosting by melting semi-sweet chocolate and 1/4 cup almond milk. Place in microwave and microwave on HIGH in 10 second increments, stirring chocolate in between each one until completely melted.
Beat together all frosting ingredients until light and fluffy, adding the powdered sugar in small amounts until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness. If it becomes too thick, add more almond milk. If it's too thin, add more cocoa powder or powdered sugar.
Once the cake is cooled, frost generously with buttercream frosting, adding a thick layer between the top and bottom layers (if doing a 2-layer cake). Alternatively, omit the frosting and dust with cocoa powder.
Hope you all enjoy! If you recreate this, don't forget to tag me and use the hashtag #holisticlyss ❤️ Love you all and Happy #selflove Day!
XO Alyssa 💕