I first made this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday two years ago, and now it’s requested for each birthday from now on. It’s his favorite dessert besides tiramisu, which we’ll also make from time to time.

Now, the difference is that my boyfriend doesn’t have to eat gluten free nor dairy free, he doesn’t really care if it’s refined sugar free either… BUT he always feels better when he eats the same way I do + this cake is all three!

The cake recipe comes from Alanna of The Bojon Gourmet. If you don’t know her blog you should as it has incredible recipes, some with dietary modifications and others with. She recently posted a one-bowl teff cake and after picking up teff flour from Kandarian Farms, this was just the recipe to use it on. I made a few modifications which I outlined below to go along with the german chocolate theme, but nothing too major. The other elements – the date caramel, sprouted peans and toasted coconut – can all be made in advance + are great additions to your pantry or refrigerator to use to accompany other desserts.

I promise, no one will be the wiser!

cake

2 batches of one-bowl teff chocolate cake with the following changes:

– swap coconut sugar for the brown sugar (it will equal 250 grams)
– swap 1/2 cup coconut yogurt+2 tablespoons coconut milk for the buttermilk
– swap melted and warm (not hot) coconut oil for the peanut oil
– swap hot coffee for the hot water

I baked the cakes in two coconut oiled 9″ cake pans (put the parchment on the bottom!) for 18 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely before assembly below.

date caramel

8 ounces organic dates, pitted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon cinnamon

If your dates are not soft and sticky, heat about 2 cups of water until scalding. Turn off the heat and add the pitted dates, letting them soak for 10-15 minutes. Drain, saving about ½ cup liquid.

Add the dates and spices to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Use the soaking liquid to achieve a thick but spreadable consistency.

sprouted pecans

You do not have to sprout your pecans if you don’t want to. Sprouting does make nuts easier to digest and years ago, I sprouted them because of this reason; however after making them, I found that it brings out a fabulous maple flavor so I continue to do this to all my pecans. You decide what you have time for. I typically make a big batch and keep them in an airtight container in my pantry.

If you want to do this, soak 3 cups pecans in a bowl of filtered water with about 1″ of water on top (they will float as they plump) for at least 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse them. Dehydrate them until dry, or preheat your oven to its lowest setting (150-200 degrees) and bake until dry.

toasted coconut

Toast 3 cups of shredded coconut in a pan over medium low heat, stirring consistently until it reaches golden brown in most places. Stirring consistently is important as I’ve burned one too many batches not doing so!

assembly

Take one cake layer and place it upside on your cake stand or serving plate. This will give you a smooth surface to frost.

Chop your (3 cups of) pecans. In a bowl, add 2 ½ cups of the chopped pecans, 2 ½ cups toasted coconut and all of the date caramel. Stir to combine. Take half of this mixture and spread it evenly onto your first layer, getting all the way to the edges. Top with the second cake, and spread of the rest of the mixture on top.

In a small bowl, mix the rest of the shredded coconut and chopped pecans together. Sprinkle these onto the top layer of caramel mixture.