Out of all of the desserts in my repertoire, the one thing I get asked most often about are chocolate dessert recipes. Regardless of whether it’s a cake or a cookie, chocolate is the flavor of choice for both men and women. The other requirement was that it has to be fudgy…so when I set out to create this low fat version of a fudgy chocolate cake, I kept those two very important things in mind.
You will never guess what dried fruit is the base for this cake…I know you are just dying to know! Well, let me relieve you of your suspense and tell you that it’s actually dried prunes. Did you know that dried prunes (or plums) have been found to have more powerful antioxidants than blueberries! This was the primary reason I wanted to use dried prunes and also because of the added fiber which makes this cake very low in fat.
I also used a very good quality red dutch process cocoa powder which gives a really deep chocolaty flavor without the added fat from cocoa butter that you would get if you used an unsweetened chocolate.
In addition to these few little tricks, I also used a combo of both whole wheat and regular flour which also helps in increasing the fiber content. This recipe is absolutely amazing and makes a delicious formal cake for any high end function in addition to making a great snacking cake for every day. It also freezes beautifully, so make sure to make extra!
I served it with an equally low fat Italian meringue, so I did not make the cake too sweet since the meringue would add a good bit of sweetness. If you are not going to use the meringue, you may want to add a little more sugar.
Sinless Chocolate Fudge Cake
7 oz prunes
7 oz warm unsweetened prune juice (or water)
1 whole egg (1.8 oz) **(or you can sub 2 whites or 3 tablespoons egg replacer)
2 tablespoons calvados (or vanilla, brandy or cognac)
¼ cup walnut oil (2 oz)
12-14 tablespoons red dutch cocoa powder (3-3.5 oz) (use Lindt, Droste or Ghirardelli)
½ cup flour (2.5 oz)
½ cup whole wheat flour (2.5 oz)
1 cup packed light brown sugar (8 oz)
2 teaspoons instant coffee
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely ground **optional
NOTE: I used 12 tablespoons of cocoa powder, but if you like it more chocolatey you can increase it to 14 tablespoons. This cake is also not very sweet by itself, so feel free to add a little more brown sugar if you prefer.
Heat up the prune juice then add the 2 teaspoons of instant coffee and pour this over the prunes. Allow them to rehydrate for a few hours or overnight in a covered container. The next day, add the prunes and the juice to a food processor and puree until there are no visible lumps of fruit.
Put the puree into a medium sized mixing bowl and add the egg, the calvados, walnut oil, brown sugar and mixed well. Measure out the two types of flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and pass through a sieve into the wet mixture. Using a whisk combine it all together until smooth. If you are going to add in the nuts, fold them in at this point.
Pour the batter into a well greased 11.5” x 4.5” pan like I did or an 8” x 8” square pan if that is easier to find. Use an offset spatula to spread evenly in the pan.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 25-30 minutes until the top springs back and is firm to the touch. When you use a cake tester, it should come out with a slightly fudgy center.
Remove the cake and allow the cake to cool completely. Frost with the Italian meringue recipe if you like or simply dust with a little powdered sugar and serve with fresh fruit.
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