Happy Birthday @KIWIDEB - A Special CHOCOLATE FUDGE PALEO CAKE Just...

A little bird (a New Zealand kiwi bird that is) told me tomorrow is @kiwideb's birthday, so I made for her a special Paleo sponge cake with chocolate fudge icing and fresh kiwi to decorate! I know a lot of people on a Paleo diet don't eat chocolate, but many others will take occasional and small amounts of good-quality organic dark chocolate (with a cocoa content of 85% or higher) for the health benefits of the cocoa. And I reckon when it's your birthday you surely can allow yourself some chocolately goodness! This cake is also sugar free and gluten free, so you don't have to worry about either your hips or your digestive system haha! It's light on the inside and sticky on the top.... Yuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

I have been following @kiwideb's blog for as long as I've been part of the Steemit community - my attention was drawn by her excellent informative posts on various areas concerning diet and nutrition, and by her wonderful-looking recipes of course. If you have any special dietary requirements and feel like you're missing out on many of the treats you have to watch others eat, check out her blog as there's probably something there for you! Anyway, I have much to thank @kiwideb for as she's one of the friendliest people I've met through Steemit, and meeting her has added to my knowledge of food and how food can affect our bodies. She was also a guest judge of the Steemit Culinary Challenge a couple months ago and picked the theme 'Purely Paleo', which was a challenge indeed, and everybody learnt a LOT I can tell you!!!

So a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, and I hope you have a wonderful day @kiwideb!

What you will need:

For the sponge:

4 large free-range eggs

175g butter

4 tblsp honey

1 large banana

4 tblsp natural yoghurt

150ml almond milk

175g tapioca flour

125g coconut flour

2 tsp baking soda

For the chocolate fudge icing:

100g butter

2 tblsp arrowroot powder

4 tblsp honey

1 large free-range egg yolk

100ml almond milk

75g 85% cocoa dark chocolate

Method:

In a large bowl beat the eggs using an electric whisk until they are light and fluffy.

Mash the banana and add to the bowl.

Melt the butter on low heat and add to the bowl.

Add the honey, natural yoghurt and almond milk to the bowl and whisk again. (You can make almond milk easily yourself by soaking almonds in water. I didn't have any so I used almond milk from a carton, but this brand is Paleo!)

Add the baking soda, tapioca flour and coconut flour to the bowl and mix in - first carefully using a spoon as these flours are very fine like icing sugar and will make a mess if you jump straight in there with the electric whisk! Once the flours have begun to combine with the mixture, you can use the electric whisk.

Grease well and also line your cake tin with baking parchment. A tin with a removable base is preferable as this sponge is a little more fragile than regular sponge. Spoon the mixture into the tin and even out. If you find the mixture is very sticky simply dip the spoon in water and then smooth your mixture out.

Pop into a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. To check the cake is cooked through, insert a sharp knife into the centre and if it pulls out clean then the cake is cooked. Put onto a wire rack to cool, but leave in the cake tin for a while so as not to break the sponge.

If you greased the tin well and used baking parchment the tin should come away easily, and you can peel off the paper.

To make the icing: cut the butter into small pieces and melt on low heat in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted, remove from the heat and stir in the arrowroot powder until fully combined and no lumps left. Add the egg yolk and honey, mix in, and return to the heat. Add the milk and whisk continuously until the mixture begins to thicken - this is now caramel. Break the chocolate into small pieces and stir into the caramel. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before spreading on the cake.