This cake is so good! I first made it when I was on my 30-day Real Food diet, which means it’s made with 100% whole wheat and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Honey is the only other sweetener allowed on the initial diet, and I had limited myself to one treat per week. I scoured the web for sugar-free recipes and when I finally found this one, I ate almost the entire pan in one sitting (and didn’t feel guilty).

One of my tricks for transitioning from white flour to whole wheat was to use whole wheat pastry flour in all my non-yeast recipes. It’s still 100% whole grain, but it’s made from a mildly flavored winter wheat (also known as white wheat, but not to be confused with white flour) and has a finer grind similar to all-purpose flour.

The maple flavor is hardly noticeable after baking, but in addition to sweetening the cake, it helps keep the cake moist with a dense, fudge-like texture. If you want a light, fluffy cake, add ¼ teaspoon baking powder. You’ll end up with a cake like this:

Chocolate Maple Torte

Chocolate Maple Torte (no sugar)

Name: Chocolate Maple Torte (no sugar)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour; 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (optional, see above); 1/2 cup butter, melted; 2 large eggs; 3/4 cup pure maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; Fruit, for garnish

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Clean eating chocolate cake that's 100% whole wheat and contains no refined sugar!

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder (optional, see above)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fruit, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan or 8 inch cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder (if using); set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat butter, eggs, syrup and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until just set. A toothpick inserted in the center will still have sticky-but-not-wet crumbs. Serve warm or at room temperature with fruit.