Mom recently celebrated a big birthday. I’m always up for a celebration, every single day is really and truly celebration worthy. However, when it comes to birthdays, especially Mom’s birthday, I wanted to get a little extra.
We decided together to buy a new bracelet for Mom’s big day. It’s something we have both thought about buying for a long time, and it is a piece we will both cherish forever. Nothing could be impressive enough to truly celebrate Mom, but we did the best we could 🙂
Then Mom and I went to Plancha for a nice al fresco lunch on a gorgeous Florida afternoon on her actual birthday, and we went to tea at the Four Seasons to continue the celebration. She also went to dinner with Dad at Knife and Spoon a couple weeks ago. Like I said, we decided to go big!
It was a lot of fun, and I hope it was as special to Mom as our time together was to me. Though these outings are things we have done before, to do something familiar and fun made our time extra special in my opinion. Here’s to a great year full of more celebrations big and small!!
I also did some baking, and this devil’s food cake with almond butter filling and ganache frosting was just the beginning. There was also a pecan pie and almond butter and jelly cake. All were delicious, but there was something extra special and decadent about this cake.
It begins with a classic devil’s food cake that is an Ina Garten recipe, so I was pretty sure the cake would turn out. Of course it did! The cake is so rich and decadent and chocolate-y, even though it isn’t since I used carob. The almond butter filling brings all those peanut butter cup vibes, as goes the totally and completely irresistible ganache frosting that is so easy to make.
Whether you need a last minute Thanksgiving dessert, a birthday cake, or you just want to celebrate the dawn of a new day, this layer cake is up for the challenge.
Devil’s Food Cake with Almond Butter Filling
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 servings 1x
Description
Rich and decadent carob cake with almond butter filling and ganache frosting.
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup coconut oil, room temperature
½ cup olive oil
1 ½ cups coconut sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla bean powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
3 cups all-purpose flour or paleo flour blend (2 cups almond flour, 1 ¼ cups tapioca starch, ¾ cup coconut flour)
¾ cup carob or cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
Filling
1 ½ cups creamy almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Ganache
¼ cup carob or cocoa powder
1 ½ cups carob or dark chocolate chips
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 teaspoons espresso powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut butter
Instructions
Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 325 degrees F convection. Oil two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans and line with parchment.
In a large bowl, cream the oils and sugar until well combined and light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding another. Stir in the vanilla and espresso, followed by half the flour and the carob or cocoa powder. Stir in half the milk. Finish the batter with the remaining flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, before stirring in the remaining milk.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool completely in the pan.
When ready to assemble the cake, place one cake on a stand or platter of your choosing. Make the filling. In a medium bowl, stir together almond butter, vanilla, and maple syrup until well combined. Carefully spread over the cake.
Top with the second cake and make the ganache. In a medium microwave safe bowl, place carob or cocoa powder, carob or dark chocolate chips, almond milk, and espresso. Microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until fully melted. Stir in the vanilla, maple syrup, and coconut butter until combined. Spoon over the cake, gently pushing the ganache to the edges so that it covers the sides partially.
Allow the ganache to set before slicing and serving. Cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave 30-60 seconds.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten via Tasting Table
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
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