Heart-Healthy Chocolate Cake

This dark chocolate cake has a fruit and nut filling. It makes a wonderful dessert for entertaining.

Ingredients:

• 3/4  cup granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup water
• 4   ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2   tablespoons refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1   teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3  cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4  cup ground flax seeds
• 1/4  teaspoon baking powder
• 5   egg whites
• 1/4  cup apricot spreadable fruit
• 2   tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
•  Powdered sugar (optional)
•  Toasted sliced almonds (optional)
•  Fresh raspberries (optional)
•  Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x9-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan, stir together granulated sugar and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and mixture almost boils. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until melted (mixture may appear slightly grainy). Place egg product in a large bowl. Gradually stir the chocolate mixture into egg product; stir in vanilla (mixture may appear slightly grainy). Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, flax seeds, and baking powder. Add flour mixture to egg product mixture, whisking until smooth. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Stir a small amount of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold remaining egg whites into chocolate mixture. Spread in the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Transfer cake to a cutting board. Using a 3 1/4-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut 6 heart-shaped pieces from cake. Stir together spreadable fruit and 2 tablespoons almonds in a small bowl. Spread mixture atop three of the heart-shaped cakes. Place remaining heart-shaped cakes atop the apricot filling on cakes. Sprinkle tops with powdered sugar, if desired. Top with toasted almonds, raspberries, and mint leaves, if desired. Cut cakes in half to serve.

 

Tip

• If desired, omit spreadable fruit and 2 tablespoons sliced almonds. Cut cake into heart shapes as directed. Do not stack cakes. Serve cakes topped with raspberries, toasted sliced almonds, mint leaves and sprinkled with powdered sugar, if desired. Makes 6 servings (1 heart cake per serving).

Source: healthheartliving.com