Author: NOTE: Coconut flour can also be used for this recipe!
When we first switched to the GAPS diet, and completed the Intro Diet, I knew that I would be limited in my baking options as far as the gluten free flour options went.
I was basically only going to be able to use nut flours or coconut flour… both of which have some pros and cons… and only coconut flour could be purchased organically at a reasonable rate!
So for the last year we’ve been using mostly coconut flour for our baking needs, with a few recipes that we like better as almond flour recipes.
Gluten Free GAPS and Paleo Chocolate Cake
Fast-forward to the summer and our garden is OVERFLOWING with yellow squash and zucchini! We were eating as much of it as we could, but I knew we needed to find a new use for the bounty.
Enter: Squash Flour
Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like! Super easy to make, and CRAZY delicious!! I have been using it as a straight one-for-one replacement for coconut flour and it’s been amazing!
>> Here’s how to make squash flour.
If you’re looking for a low-carb chocolate cake, this is perfect for you! Because each full batch of squash flour chocolate cake only uses 1/2 cup of flour and makes about 9 LARGE pieces of cake, you’re looking at about 12 net carbs for a large and delicious piece of low-carb chocolate cake!
You can use a low-carb sweetener to get that carb count even lower, as this recipe uses honey.
NOTE: Coconut flour can also be used for this recipe with no changes needed to quantity of flour!
Squash Flour GAPS and Paleo Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Squash Flour (or coconut flour)
- 5 Tbsp Butter (room temperature)
- 4 Eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup Raw Cacao
- 1/4 Cup Milk (any kind, we use raw)
- 1/4 Cup Honey see notes
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract (homemade is best)
- dash Salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°.
- Set aside the apple cider vinegar, mix all the other ingredients together in a large bowl until very smooth.
- Add apple cider vinegar. Mix well.
- Pour into a greased 9x9 pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until clean knife test is passed.
Notes
Chocolate Cake Nutritional Information
If you are using squash flour, here are the nutritional facts for 1 piece of cake (the recipe makes 9).
If you are using coconut flour instead, here are those nutritional facts! Again, for 1 piece out of 9! As you can see, they are almost identical… but I wanted to include the additional label just for confirmation!
Squash Flour Chocolate Cake FAQ
Can I use something other than honey?
Absolutely! You can use any sweetener that you’d like! If you want to make this a keto or low-carb chocolate cake, then just sub in the sweetener of your choice!
The yellow squash flour is actually fairly sweet, so you may not need as much as you think!
Can I substitute out the butter?
Yes! You can use coconut oil, vegan butter substitute, or even olive oil!
Dehydrating my zucchini today — what a game changer! I will be making this chocolate cake with my farm education class, and one of the families is dairy-free. Which milk substitute do you think would work the best in this recipe?
Hi Mary! How exciting!! You can use any type of milk, plant based or animal… so I usually suggest almond if possible!
Replace for coconut flour, what about almond flour recipes?
Is this cake fluffy like a regular flour cake?
Hey Carol! This cannot be substituted for almond flour, just like coconut flour cannot be substituted for almond flour. It’s a completely different liquid to flour ratio and doesn’t work the same way. But, it’s a great flour on its own!
I would say that it is fluffy, but not like regular flour cake. It’s not super dense like many gluten free things are though. It’s very lovely!
Did you use raw cacao nibs or raw cacao powder in this recipe? Or some other form of raw cacao? Thanks in advance.
It’s cacao powder :-) The chunks in the pictures are from the squash flour that I didn’t choose the grind more, haha!
Do you ever use an egg replacement? 4 eggs is a lot for a 9×9 cake. Thank you
Hey there! I don’t, it’s what gives the cake it’s texture. The square flour is very thirsty and needs all the moisture and structure from the eggs.