Here’s Twiglet the Cat contemplating a plate of my newly baked and iced Chocolate Mint Cake. And I can’t say I blame her. This sumptuous sponge is a trip around heaven and back.
Did you have a favourite cake when you were little? Chocolate sponge, lurid green mint butter icing, with Cadbury’s chocolate buttons on top, was my number 1 cake of choice.
In a fit of nostalgia recently I thought I’d have a stab at making a zero sugar/low carb/slightly less green version. It’s said that we tend to romanticise the past, but I have to say this cake was even lovelier and more-sish than I remember. The key to this is, I think, is the ingredients. Believe me there doesn’t have to be anything remotely austere about eating healthier cakes. Take for example butter icing. It's perfectly good, but with a lovely cream cheese added, it’s lifted into the stratosphere. Similarly, adding grated veg to cake sponge creates an incredibly moist irresistible texture. If you’re sceptical, get your pinny on and just try it for yourself. Be prepared to eat some humble pie alongside some damned good cake. For the cake 200g squash or sweet potato 100g courgette 5 eggs 4-5 tbsp granulated sweetener. (See options below) * 1 tbsp vanilla essence 10 drops caramel essence 85g melted butter 85g coconut flour 65g cocoa powder 1 tsp baking powder Large pinch of salt Pinch of chilli powder
For the topping 75g softened butter 200g cream cheese 2 tsp peppermint essence 1 ½ tsp green colouring 5 tsp milled sweetener. (See options below)*. Keto chocolate drops to decorate. (Optional)
*Granulated natural sweetener options could include xylitol, erythritol, allulose. See Alternative Sweeteners page for more info. Each will have slightly different levels of sweetness. Adjust to taste. Mill your granulated sweetener for icing sugar consistency - unless you are using allulose, as it will be fine enough.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4 Line a 23cm square cake tin with baking paper. If you have a food processor, put the chopped squash/sweet potato in and whizz until the veg has become crumb consistency. Then add the chopped courgette and do the same. (Otherwise grate both vegetables finely and mix with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl according to the sequence below). Add eggs, melted butter, sweetener to the vegetables and whizz/stir until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and whizz/stir some more. Spread the cake batter evenly into the lined cake tin. Bake for 30 minutes. Check to see if the cake is baked by putting a knife or skewer into the centre and seeing if it comes out clean. If not cook an extra 5 minutes at a time. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a cake rack to finish cooling.
For the icing Use softened butter. (Leave somewhere warm or microwave for 10-20 seconds). Mix in the milled sweetener, colouring and flavouring and stir well. Finally add the cream cheese and stir until blended. Once the cake sponge is completely cool, spread the icing over the top. Add some keto chocolate buttons or grated, no added sugar chocolate.
