Maca Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Makes
15

Prep Time (min)
30

Cook (min)
35

Carb Grams (g)
111

Cook Difficult
7

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar (can be replaced with coconut sugar)
¾ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp espresso powder
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs (can be replaced with applesauce)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp maca powder
Maca Chocolate Buttercream:
1 ½ cup margarine
1 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
5 cups sugar
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp espresso powder
1 tbsp maca powder
2 cups strawberries

Utensils

2 (9-inch) springform pans
Stand mixer
Kitchen spatula
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

First, prepare the crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 9-inch springform pans with baking spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, maca, and espresso powder. Mix well and pour in the milk. With a paddle attachment on, beat on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Now add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Continue to beat on medium speed until completely combined. Finally, pour in 1 cup of boiling water and mix well again.
Divide the batter between 2 springform pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove crusts from the oven and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the maca chocolate buttercream. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat well until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Carefully remove crusts from pans and place on a clean work surface. Using a sharp knife, slice the top half-inch of each crust to flatten the surface as evenly as possible. Spread some of the buttercream over one cake crust and top with sliced strawberries, creating an even layer. Add the second crust and frost the entire cake with buttercream.
Optionally, add some more strawberries on top and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Maca Chocolate Strawberry Cake

maca-chocolate-strawberry-cake-ingredients

Whenever I imagine a perfect dessert, there are two words in my mind – strawberries and lots of chocolate! This fantastic combination has been inspiring me for years to create all sorts of desserts.

One of my favorite recipes is definitely this luxurious chocolate strawberry cake made with super healthy maca powder that emphasizes the mouthwatering flavor of this dessert. The cake itself is based on two tender chocolate crusts that you can bake at the same time or even separately if you only have one 9-inch springform.

maca-chocolate-strawberry-cake-mixing

The trick is to cool crusts completely before finishing the cake. That’s why I like to prepare them the night before so they can have plenty of time to cool before I spread the frosting.

The even better idea is to prepare several batches of these wonderful crusts (trust me, you will not regret it!), cool them completely, and tightly wrap them with plastic wrap. This way they can stand in the freezer for 2 months and the next time you decide to prepare this fantastic dessert all you have to do is mix the buttercream and you’re good to go.

maca-chocolate-strawberry-cake-icing

As for the topping, I have decided to finish with strawberries (I can’t seem to get enough of them). However, you can add some other fruit (peaches and cherries will work perfectly) or even nuts. Whatever you decide, this recipe will become your favorite chocolate cake combination and I’m sure you’ll be making it for years to come!

Nutrition information per serving: Kcal: 672, Protein: 3.9g, Total Carbs: 111.1g, Dietary Fibers: 2.4g, Total Fat: 27.4g

This beautiful dessert can easily become completely gluten-free and vegan-friendly. For a gluten-free version, you can simply replace all-purpose flour with the equal amount of gluten-free all-purpose flour. When it comes to eggs, you can use your favorite store-bought egg replacer or even better and more natural option – applesauce. Use 2/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce instead of 2 eggs the recipe calls for and bake crusts for 3-4 minutes more.