Clean Chocolate "Ganache" Icing

Last September, I posted about Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Cake.   If you notice, I said in the recipe to divide the batter between three 9" pans. I actually only used two of those layers for the cake you see in the pictures on that post. That was on a weekday, so I actually saved the third layer for the weekend so I could serve my parents some cake when they had time to drop by.
Part of the reason for this decision was because on my daughters birthday, it was getting late and I figured after frosting two layers that it looked good enough, and we should just go ahead a light the candles so the kids could get to bed. (I think we were also low on frosting after those two layers.)

As I also mentioned in that post, when I talked about how to make the frosting, that I usually grind my coconut sugar in an effort to make the frosting more smooth. However, when it came time to frost the final layer on Saturday morning, I had the idea to melt the coconut sugar instead, when making new frosting.  We've made coconut syrup for pancakes before when we've been all out of honey or maple syrup and it is really good. So I figured, it ought to work. . . . Aaaaand . . . Happily . . . .

It totally worked!

I don't think I'll ever grind my coconut sugar again! This icing was so smooth and delectable!

Plus it was a lot quicker to melt the sugar than to grind it.

So here's the revised recipe with this new technique included.

Chocolate "Ganache" Icing

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups of Coconut Palm Sugar* 
• 1 tsp of water or so
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract*
• 2 1/4 cups of Coconut Oil* and/or Butter*
• 1/4 cup of Cocoa Powder* (Or more for a darker chocolate.)
• A dash of Sea Salt* or Real Salt* to taste (especially if your butter is unsalted)

Instructions

Place the coconut sugar in a small saucepan with the water over low heat and stir until smooth

Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter/oil, stirring again stir till smooth.

Transfer syrup to a stand mixer or mixing bowl and beat in the salt, adding the cocoa a little at a time until well blended and smooth.

If the consistency is too runny, chill for 10-15 minutes then whip. 

Be sure the cake is well cooled before you ice it.

Top with fresh berries if desired and serve.

I think my parents were pretty impressed with how the cake turned out. Which is good, because I know they have had a hard time adjusting to my cleaner eating habits, and I think they have been doubtful in the past that clean desserts can really be as tasty as their processed counterparts. 

This cake really was delicious though! So fudgey, smooth, rich and chocolaty! 

Check out the post linked at the top or click here to see the recipe for the Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Cake.

I hope this recipe proves useful to someone out there, and I hope you enjoy eating it as much as I did!

Thanks so much for reading!

~Julie :}

*Julie Surprise is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com