Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Baby Cakes -- Don't blink, because they'll be gone!

I whipped these little cuties up in just a few minutes. They are mostly virtuous, but just a little naughty. Sound like anyone you know? The chocolate is our usual fave, callebaut, which makes no excuses. It is a fabulously balanced tasting dark chocolate chip that I can't recommend highly enough. If you've never had the pleasure and are a chocolate lover, you might like to check it out. Callebaut also makes organic fair-trade chocolate, but I've yet to come across it. When it comes to a cake like this, or even chocolate chip cookies, I would absolutely recommend using the best quality chocolate you can get your hands on. The taste makes all the difference in the world. And real, good quality chocolate is a super-food. Which makes it guilt free, right? ;)

These cakes are full of blood-sugar stabilizing ingredients such as chia seeds and high protein flours. The sweeteners in these cakes are agave and coconut sugar. I chose agave for its uncomplicated and bright sweetness, but just used 2 tbsp of it. The addition of 2 tbsp of coconut sugar gives a darker sweetness with more depth and more complex flavours. That works out to 1/2 tsp of coconut sugar and 1/2 tsp of agave in each cake.

I know that people with blood sugar issues such as hypo-glycemia or diabetes need to be careful when indulging in sweets. However, with the small amount of sugar in dark chocolate and the small amount of agave and coconut sugar added to this recipe, the sweeteners are well offset by the protein rich ingredients and the chia. If you are very sensitive, you could safely halve the quantity of chocolate in the cakes. The cakes are too chocolaty for me the way they are, but my boys -- chocolate lovers both -- were very happy with them.

Also, I ran out of eggs, so instead of 2, I used 1 and 1 tsp egg replacer. OOPS.

ingredients:

2 tbps extra virgin coconut oil

3/4 cup warm water

1 egg

1 tsp egg replacer + 1/4 cup cool water (combined)

1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbps clear agave

2 tbsp coconut sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp ground vanilla bean

2 tbsp ground chia

1 cup almond meal

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp coconut flour

1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate morsels (Callebaut!)

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the coconut oil and the warm water to melt the oil

2. add the agave and coconut sugar

3. add the vinegar

4. make sure the mixture is no longer warm and beat in the egg

5. mix in the egg replacer and water

6. stir in the salt, vanilla, and cinnamon

7. add the chia

8. add the almond flour

9. add the baking soda

10. add the coconut flour

11. add the chocolate morsels

12. scoop into prepared muffin cups, and bake at 345 for 37-40 minutes in the upper half of the oven

makes 12 cakes

Gluten free cakes of this ilk are fragile, and need to cool in their cups for a while before they are taken out onto a cooling rack. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge ... but don't blink ...