Recipe: Healthy Chocolate Crumble Cake

The other day I realised something... my husband has serious trust issues when it comes to food. 

I mean, it's partially my fault because I'm always experimenting, but Jesse is always giving me the shifty eyes when I tell him what I'm making. 

Take the other night. I was making Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup for dinner (I'll share the recipe soon!) and Jesse comes into the kitchen and says "so what else other than chicken did you put in the soup?". I rattled off some of the ingredients and he says "milk? you put MILK in soup?" 

Now, I want you to imagine that sentence in the voice of some uber ridiculously talented chef who manages to make boiled water taste like heaven. Jesse gave me the shifty eyes and looked at me like I had three heads. I don't really know what the issue is with milk in soup but apparently it's not in Jesse's accepted ingredients list. 

A little while later when we were eating dinner he told me "This is THE BEST chicken soup I have ever had in my life".... 

I told you... trust issues. A similar scenario happens at least three times a week - and the same thing happened when I told Jesse I was making this cake. 

"You're putting what on top of a chocolate cake?" 

"A crumble? Like.... apple crumble? Like...... coffee cake?" 

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmm" - that's a disapproving mmm, friends - complete with shifty eyes. 

Luckily for Jesse, I've learnt to trust my cooking so I kept on creating and when Jesse got home from work to try this cake, what do you think his reaction was?

"Oh wow! This is good.... don't let anyone else have it... this is my cake... MY cake". 

After making this cake quite a few times now and seeing every last slice disappear, I wanted to share it with you!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Healthy Chocolate Crumble Cake Recipe

makes one loaf or around 9-12 slices 

low fat, gluten free, clean eating friendly, refined sugar free option 

For the cake: 

1 1/2 cups (180g) gluten free plain flour 

3 tbsp (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp (30g) butter, melted (or coconut oil/rice bran oil) 

2 egg whites (60g or 1/4 cup) or 1 egg

1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce 

1/4-1/3 cup (55-75g) coconut sugar or brown sugar*

1/2 cup milk of your choice (we used unsweetened almond)

2 tsp vanilla extract 

For the crumble topping:
1/3 cup (40g) gluten free plain flour 

3 tsp (15g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp (15g) butter, melted (or coconut oil/rice bran oil)

2 tbsp maple syrup 

• Preheat oven to 180C/355F 
• Line a regular loaf tin with baking paper and set aside. 
• In a bowl, sift your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda and add a pinch of salt 
• Melt your butter and mix with your egg whites, applesauce, sugar, milk and vanilla. 
• Mix your wet ingredients into your sifted flour, mixing until just combined. 
• Pour your cake batter into your prepared tin and set aside. 
• To prepare your crumble topping, mix your melted butter with your maple syrup, cocoa and flour until just combined. Your mix should clump together into an almost dough-like ball. 
• Crumble your crumble mixture over the top of your cake batter in the tin, gently pressing the crumble into the top of the cake mix. 
• Bake for around 40 minutes or until your cake is cooked. Take your cake out of the oven as soon as it's cooked through and a skewer inserted into the middle removes with a few moist crumbs. 
• Allow your cake to cool before carefully slicing with a serrated knife (this just makes it easier to slice without having the crumble fall off!). 
• This cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for around 3 days (though it's best on the day it's made!) or you can store individual slices in airtight ziplock bags and simply defrost a slice as needed!

Notes:

*Use more/less sugar depending on how sweet you like your baked goods. If you prefer your baked goods on the sweeter side, use 1/2 cup. 

But tell me, do you or does anyone you know have trust issues with food/recipes?

I seem to live in a house full of them :P My mum always doubts that gluten free food can taste good (and she's always proved wrong) and my sister is always hesitant to try things because she doesn't think she'll like them - and then she usually finds she loves them!