Chocolate Cinnamon Cake with Sweet Pecan Glaze

If you've already consumed a few too many cookies and/or slices of pie, I've got you covered with this chocolate cinnamon cake with sweet pecan glaze. It's everything you've ever wanted in a holiday dessert!

This post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill.

I feel like cake totally takes the backseat during the holiday season. Why is that? Maybe they look weird without birthday candles? Maybe people find more comfort in cookies and pies and fruitcake (<-- joke)? Maybe cake feels somewhat too perfect for this season with it's crisp, frosted edges? 

Whatever the reason may be, I've tried to solve them all with this cake. It has an extra dose of comfort from the cinnamon and molasses. It also gives off a bit more rustic + casual feel with its 1-layer, glaze-topped presentation. 

Word to the wise. If any dessert you make turns out a bit messier than expected, calling it "rustic" makes everything okay. 

In this cake you'll find a few of my very favorite gluten-free flours from Bob's Red Mill. I've been using their flours for longer than I can remember. I still can't get over the variety of flours they have and how many of them are gluten-free. The quality of their products never disappoint, and I kind of have a thing for their displays in stores. It must be the architect/designer in me, but the grid of BRM bags stacked on shelf after shelf always makes me way too excited.

Sorghum flour is one I've been experimenting with lately, as it helps add a lighter texture to gluten-free baked goods. I love the nuttiness from the almond flour and also the moisture and richness it adds to this cake and other baked goods. Oat flour rounds this group out, adding even more nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness. 

And now for the topping. Can we just take a moment here?

It pretty much tastes like a caramel glaze, thanks to the out of control amazing flavor from coconut sugar. Have you tried coconut sugar yet? If not, you must!

This topping comes together in just a few minutes and is way easier to pour all over top than it is to frost a cake.

Plus it's warm.

And crunchy.

And it would be good as a topping on basically anything. 

Or eaten with a spoon.

Print Recipe!

heavily adapted from Lindsey + Sarah

CHOCOLATE CINNAMON CAKE WITH SWEET PECAN GLAZE

gluten-free, dairy-free // yields 8 slices

for the cake:

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup sorghum flour
• 1/3 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1/3 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon light (canned) coconut milk
• 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

for the glaze:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup powdered coconut sugar (see notes for instructions)
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 350° and thoroughly grease an 8-inch round pan with coconut oil.

Stir all dry cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl, until no clumps remain from the coconut sugar. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs then whisk in the milk. Add the molasses to the melted coconut oil then pour into the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk until you no longer see dry flour. Pour into the pan and place in the oven for 45-55min, until a toothpick comes out nearly clean (it should feel slightly sticky).

Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Slide a thin spatula around the edge of the pan and gently nudge the cake with your spatula in a few places to loosen. Place a hand gently on the top of the cake and flip to release. Gently place upright on a cooling rack until fully cooled.

While the cake cools, place pecans in a dry pan over medium heat. Toast for about 6-8 minutes until fragrant and just starting to brown. Stir frequently. Remove nuts from heat.

Just before serving place nuts back in the pan over low heat. Stir the milk, powdered coconut sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl until smooth. Pour into the pan with the nuts and stir until heated through. Slice cake on a large plate and pour the glaze overtop and serve immediately. Or, slice cake and serve with glaze on the side.

Notes:

I used Bob's Red Mill coconut sugar, sorghum flour, GF oat flour, and almond flour in this recipe.

To make powdered coconut sugar: Place 1 cup coconut sugar + 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (or cornstarch) in your blender. Blend on low working to high until powdery. Scrape corners and bottom of blender and blend again if needed.

Feel free to leave the cinnamon out if desired and sub honey instead of blackstrap molasses for a more traditional chocolate cake flavor. You can also use refined coconut oil if you'd like zero coconut flavor.

Happy Friday!

Cake me.

Ashley

Today’s post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. Product opinions are always my own. If I didn’t love it, you wouldn’t hear about it. I truly appreciate your continued support!

Roasted Cherry Lavender Ice Cream

I haven’t forgotten about you!  It seems like a month has gone by since my last post. Even my dad was like, “Is something wrong with your blog? Every time I check it’s the same smoothie.” Ha. Yikes.  The majorly good news is I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, I’ve just had a LOT of freelance photography work lately. Hooray!

The other good news is, today I’m sharing a recipe for roasted cherry lavender ice cream!

This post is sponsored by Frontier Co-op.

It’s officially summer and we’re finally drying up from 1.5 months of insane amounts of rain for Colorado.

The fruits + veggies are starting to pile up at the farmers’ market and I’m taking full advantage. Cherries made an early appearance at the Boulder Farmers’ Market this year, and I pounced when I saw them. I knew they would be the perfect seasonal, local ingredient to feature as part of the Spice Up Summer campaign with Frontier Co-op. I’ve been working with Frontier on coming up with different ways to use dried herbs + spices with summer produce. You may have seen some of my ideas on Instagram. I also recently took over their Instagram account to highlight my early summer findings at the market. If you missed it, be sure and check it out starting with this photo. I had such a fun day exploring the market and talking to the farmers.

It took me awhile to think about how I would use cherries and what flavor profile I wanted to achieve. I went back and forth on sweet and savory ideas but had ice cream on the brain and just couldn’t shake it. Cherry ice cream sounded divine.

As much as I love eating raw cherries, I don’t really enjoy large pieces of fruit in my ice cream. So raw cherries weren't happening in this recipe. I also knew I didn’t want to make a solid cherry ice cream. I was imagining ribbons of roasted cherry puree, sliding between the layers of creamy, vanilla bean ice cream. And then I remembered this blackberry lavender ice cream I had a few years ago and obsessed over.

My mind was made up! I would pair the cherries with lavender and a base of vanilla bean ice cream.

I could almost taste how well the lavender was going to pair with the roasted cherry and vanilla flavors. It’s much smoother than you might imagine, and I promise it doesn’t taste like you’re eating soap or a lavender-scented candle.

Plus, lavender is known for its calming affects, so eating this ice cream will totally put you in a zen state of mind.

You can typically find dried lavender buds in the bulk spice section of your grocery store. If you can’t find them in store, they’re available online as well. Just make sure you’re buying food-grade quality. And if you have to buy in a large quantity, there are many other uses for dried lavender, so they definitely won’t go to waste!

Making this ice cream will involve some time, but the end result is absolutely worth it. It melts in your mouth with just the right amount of cherry sweetness and lavender essence.

What are you waiting for?

Time to dig in.

Print Recipe!

Roasted Cherry Lavender Ice Cream 

gluten-free // yields appx. 4 servings

• 2 cups pitted + halved sweet cherries
• 2 tablespoon pure cane sugar
• 2 cups whole milk, divided
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch
• 3 1/2 tablespoons full-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup pure cane sugar
• 1/4 cup dried lavender buds
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1-2 vanilla beans, split + scraped, pods reserved (about 1/4 teaspoon beans)

*Pre-freeze your ice cream maker bowl according to manufacturer's instructions. I keep mine stored in the freezer so it's always ready.

Preheat your oven to 450° F. 

Place pitted cherries in a baking dish and toss with sugar. Roast for 15-20 minutes until cherries have softened and are starting to caramelize. Stir halfway through.

While roasting, prepare an ice bath in a large mixing bowl. Remove cherries from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes. After cooling, place in your blender (optional) and pulse to desired consistency for stirring into your ice cream. Pour into a quart-sized freezer bag, squeeze the air out, and seal. Place in the ice bath to fully chill.

While cherries are roasting, whisk 2-3 tablespoons of milk (from the 2 cups) in a small bowl with the starch until well combined. In a med/large mixing bowl, hip the cream cheese and salt together until smooth. Set both aside.

In a large pot, add the remaining milk, cream, sugar, lavender, honey, scraped beans, and vanilla bean pods. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and whisk in the starch mixture. Place back on medium-high heat and stir with a heat-safe spatula until just starting to thicken, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove vanilla bean pod(s).

In about 4 increments, whisk the milk mixture into the cream cheese bowl until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer over another large bowl to strain the lavender buds. Pour into a gallon-sized freezer back, squeeze the air out, and seal. Place in the ice bath until fully chilled. About 30-60 minutes.  

Pour the milk mixture into your ice cream maker and let spin until thick like soft serve ice cream. Refer to manual for timing details. Once finished, pour in the cherry mixture and fold in a few times. Scoop into a freezer-safe, airtight storage container and pack down. Press parchment paper directly on top of the ice cream and seal with the lid. Let freeze for 4+ hours before serving.

Notes:

• If you do not have an ice cream maker, check out this post for ideas on how to freeze your ice cream.

Lavender infusion adapted from: Jessica’s White Chocolate Lavender Ice Cream
Ice cream adapted from: Jenis Splendid  Ice Creams At Home, Ugandan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream pg. 148-149 

I’m curious to hear what interesting herbs + spices have you been adding to your summer produce lately! Be sure to share your creations with the hashtag #SpiceUpSummer and tag @edibleASH and @frontiercoop !

Also! Be on the lookout for TWO recipes in one week over here and another use for your summer cherries. Ohhh yaaah.

Ashley

This post is sponsored by Frontier Co-op. All opinions are my own. If I didn't love it, you wouldn't hear about it. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Edible Perspective!