Chocolate, Cinnamon, & Almond Loaf Cake (gluten-free)

My dessert tastes don’t always quite jive with other people’s.  I don’t like things super sweet, I tend more toward fruity desserts rather than super chocolate, I will always choose dark chocolate over milk (and don’t even talk to me about white chocolate and its lies…).

I was blown away by the complexity of the flavors in this cake, yet how subtle they were.  I cut back on the sugar quite a bit from what the recipe called for, and for me that made it perfect—letting the chocolate have more of a bittersweet quality and the cinnamon shine through.  Also, whoever thought to put cinnamon in whipped cream is a genius and I can’t believe I haven’t done that before.  But I assure you I will forever moving forward…

It also happens to be naturally gluten-free, just a bonus for an already-great recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with baking spray.  Line it with parchment paper, so there’s at least 2 inches of overhang on each side.

In a large bowl, stir together the almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the egg yolks, sugar, melted butter, coffee, and vanilla, and stir in.  The batter should be pretty smooth, but will still have some lumps and grain from the meal.

In a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites at medium-high until they form stiff peaks.  That’s about 3-5 minutes with my hand mixer.

Gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate batter, then mix in the rest (still gently!).  There shouldn’t be white streaks in the batter, so definitely get it all mixed in.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs.  Definitely don’t over-bake it, you want it to be super moist.

Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before taking out of the pan, then cool completely (but let’s be honest, eat a piece while it’s still warm!).

Whip the cream and then add the cinnamon and honey at the end.

Serve on top of the cake.  Congratulate yourself on being awesome.

Chocolate, Cinnamon, & Almond Loaf Cake

• 2 1/2 cups of superfine almond meal/flour
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup of turbinado sugar (see note below on sweetening)
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/2 cup of cooled brewed coffee
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, plus honey for sweetening as desired

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with baking spray.  Line it with parchment paper, so there’s at least 2 inches of overhang on each side.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add the egg yolks, sugar, melted butter, coffee, and vanilla, and stir in.  The batter should be pretty smooth, but will still have some lumps and grain from the meal.
3. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites at medium-high until they form stiff peaks.  That’s about 3-5 minutes with my hand mixer.
4. Gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate batter, then mix in the rest (still gently!).  There shouldn’t be white streaks in the batter, so definitely get it all mixed in.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs.  Definitely don’t over-bake it, you want it to be super moist.
6. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before taking out of the pan, then cool completely (but let’s be honest, eat a piece while it’s still warm!).
7. Whip the cream and then add the cinnamon and honey at the end.  Serve on top of the cake.  Congratulate yourself on being awesome.

Note:  I cut the sugar down because I don’t like things quite as sweet and I wanted the bittersweet chocolate and cinnamon to come through.  The original recipe calls for a full cup, but I don’t think it needs it and loved it the way I made it.

Original recipe from Food & Wine