How to Make an Easy, Fruit Sweetened Chocolate Cake Diabetics (and Everyone Else) Can Eat (No Artificial Sweeteners, No Butter)

This simple cake is moist and delicious and rich in chocolate flavor. It's also far better for you than most traditional chocolate cakes. Although not "heath food," the cake, in moderation (of course, and as always!), is acceptable if you're on a diabetic diet or want to "eat healthy." Rather than relying on refined sugar, the cake is sweetened primarily with date puree (it's easy to make, not to worry). A little dark chocolate adds extra richness to the cake without massive amounts of sugar. Rather than butter, the cake gets it's fat from canola oil, although you can substitute extra-virgin olive oil, if you prefer. You can make the cake in an air fryer or oven in about half an hour. The cake needs no frosting--it's sufficiently soft and tender on its own--but you can dress it up with fresh fruit, if you like. Strawberries, raspberries, or even blueberries would be good. If you really want to splurge, a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream alongside is good, too. Enjoy!

Fruit Sweetened Chocolate Cake (Diabetic Friendly)

Fruit Sweetened Chocolate Cake (Diabetic Friendly) -- Makes an 8-Inch Cake

1/2 cup of canola oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)

3.5-ounces of dark chocolate (a medium-sized bar from Lidl or Aldi works well, here)

1 cup of date puree (barely cover 1 cup of pitted dates with boiling water, let cool, and

mash well with a fork or puree the dates/water in a food processor)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of baking cocoa

2/3 cup of white whole-wheat flour (substitute whole-wheat pastry flour if you can't find

the white whole-wheat)

3/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder (optional, but good)

Spritz an 8-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with baking parchment. I use an aluminum foil pan for easy cleanup and because it just fits in my air fryer. Break the chocolate into pieces, put it into a cup, and microwave it for about a minute or until melted or very soft (stir the chocolate well after a minute--it should stir easily). Put the oil into a large bowl and stir in the melted chocolate and the date puree until combined. Add the eggs and stir/whisk them in. Whisk in the milk until combined. Add the salt and baking cocoa and whisk them into the mixture. Add the white whole-wheat flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and the espresso powder (if you're using it), and whisk them into the batter until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out evenly.

Air Fryer: Air fry the cake at 330 degrees on the "bake setting" for about 25 minutes or until a pick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out with no wet batter attached. Alternatively, if you don't have a "bake" setting, air fry the cake at 320 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter attached.

Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with no wet batter attached.

The cake is good warm or cold. Store any uneaten cake in the refrigerator.

How to Make a Fruit-Sweetened Chocolate Cake Diabetics (and Everyone Else) Can Eat (No Artificial Sweeteners, No Butter)