Around July 4th, I started craving strawberry shortcake. My boyfriend was supportive of this baking endeavor, provided that I find a way to incorporate chocolate. To him, no dessert is really complete without chocolate. Still, I wanted to keep the dessert light and not let chocolate outshine the star of the show - strawberries. The chocolate shortcake came out light and buttery, not overly sweet, and proved to be the perfect vehicle for a mountain of coconut creme and berries.
Chocolate Shortcake with Coconut Creme and Berries
Serves 12
Dry ingredients
1 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup dutch cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
Wet ingredients
1/3 cup chocolate chips - melted
1/2 cup butter or ghee
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
Toppings
1 can coconut milk (full fat) - refrigerated overnight
sliced strawberries (and other berries of choice)
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Combine the chocolate chips and butter in a saucepan and stir well on low-med heat until completed melted. Add to a large mixing bowl with eggs, vanilla and maple syrup. Stir well.
3) Add dry ingredients to the mixture, stirring until completely mixed.
4) Grease a cupcake pan with butter or ghee and add shortcake batter (should have enough to make 12 shortcakes). Cook for 40 minutes.
5) Open can of coconut milk that has been refrigerated overnight. The thick, more solid, white part of the milk should have separated at the top from the bottom milk which is more clear and liquidy. Separate and add the thick, solid milk to a bowl and beat with a blender until it's the consistency of whipped creme.
6) Slice the shortcakes in half, and add coconut creme to bottom half of the cake with berries.
7) Sandwich with top of the shortcake and more berries.
