Honey Chocolate Fudge (Brownie) Cake is without a doubt, the favorite cake of all teddy bears. Trust me, I know this for a fact!

Now as some of you know, our home is full of stuffed teddy bears and most of the time it is a lot of fun living with them.  However, the goofy beasts invade our kitchen and eat up our baked treats whenever we’re not looking.  I try to be sneaky and hide the treats. But unfortunately for my Gorgeous Man and myself, they have a very good sense of smell.  We have found that stuffed teddy bears are particularly fond of finding gluten-free baked treats that are made with honey.  

Well, my latest creation, Honey Chocolate Fudge Cake caused a huge problem among all the bears!  Linzer (pictured below) ran into our bedroom AT MIDNIGHT protesting that someone had taken a bite of his cake.  Oh my.  Drat!  Our inquisitive, stuffed teddy bears had obviously found the cake and were having a Midnight Tea Party!  

Well, at that time of night I’m not at my best so I just gave Linzer the entire remaining cake.  That was NOT a good solution.  My Gorgeous Man and I literally had to yank the cake away from all the bears; and then eat the remaining pieces ourselves (someone had to do it) to stop them from fighting over it.  

Right now, all the bears are pouting and Linzer is crying.  But they did all have one LARGE piece of cake each, so I don’t feel all that sorry for them.  However, I do understand why they love this cake so much.  

• First of all, instead of sugar, Honey Chocolate Fudge Cake is sweetened with yummy honey.  Honey tastes sweeter than sugar so I was able to sweeten this cake with only 1/3 cup.  (Most chocolate brownie-type cakes of this size call for one cup of sugar or even more!) 
• Instead of regular flour or starch, this cake is made with almond meal/flour (ground, blanched almonds) and coconut flour.   That means this cake is gluten and grain free and high in protein and fiber!  
• I used dairy-free coconut oil because coconut oil is rich in lauric acid and medium chain fatty acids which are super-healthy and make our skin (or fur) more beautiful. 
• Cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate make this cake extra-chocolatey and we all know that chocolate is an antioxidant!  
• And finally, walnuts (the most healthy nut) are sprinkled on top and turn lovely and crunchy as they bake.  In fact many doctors are now saying that walnuts “reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”  

So you know what this all means?  It means that scrumptious Honey Chocolate Fudge Cake is an antioxidant VITAMIN CAKE!  Yay!  And of course it is gluten-free and grain-free and if you use dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate it is also completely dairy free!  WAHOO!

No wonder our stuffed teddy bears love this cake so much.  I better go make the little dears another one…

Honey Chocolate Fudge (Brownie) Cake
This rich chocolate cake is a cross between a brownie and a cake.  If you serve this cake immediately it has the texture of a fudge cake.  But, if you have enough self-control to bake it the day before, the next day your cake will have the texture of a decadent fudge brownie!  (Yum!)  This cake is sweetened with honey, topped with crunchy walnuts and drizzled with an opulent chocolate icing.

Cake Ingredients:
1/3 cup cocoa (I used Hershey’s cocoa)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6 oz.) divided into thirds 
1/3 cup coconut oil  (See notes below)
1/3 cup honey
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup walnut halves or coarsely chopped walnuts

Luscious Honey Chocolate Drizzle:
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoon hot water
1 level teaspoon honey

GimmeGlutenFree Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8-inch square glass baking dish and set aside.   

2.  In a medium-size saucepan melt the coconut oil over very low heat.  Stir in the cocoa and 1/3 cup chocolate chips.  Set aside the remaining chocolate chips.  (Part of the chocolate chips will be stirred into the batter, and the remaining chocolate chips will be for the icing.)  Melt, stirring constantly, until smooth.  Remove from heat.

3.  Whisk in honey until smooth.  Then whisk in eggs and vanilla until smooth and blended.  Whisk in almond flour, coconut flour and baking soda.   Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips.  Spoon the batter into a greased 8-inch square pan and sprinkle the walnuts on top.  (If the walnuts are sprinkled on top they will get toasted and crunchy.  Yum! They taste much better than stirring them in the dough.)  Bake for approximately 20 – 23 minutes or until done.  

NOTE:  Never over-bake brownies!  The edges will appear “done” but a toothpick inserted in the middle should not come out “clean.”  It is actually better to under-bake brownies than to over-bake them.  Over-baked brownies tend to get dry. Now, if for some reason, your brownies turn out to be severely underdone and are “saucy” in the middle, don’t panic and don’t apologize!  Simple serve your brownies with a smile and call this recipe: Honey Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Fudge Sauce! (So delicious, you may prefer all of your brownies this way!) 

4.  Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

While the cake is cooling, make the icing:
1.  In a small saucepan over very low heat, add the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons hot water and 1 teaspoon honey.  Stir constantly until completely melted.  Drizzle over the warm baked cake.  Let the cake cool, cut into pieces and ENJOY!  

Lynn’s Notes:  

• Now remember, if you desire your cake to be “less cake-y” in texture and you want a decadent rich brownie do this: Simply let the cake cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it set overnight.  Preferably let it rest about 24 hours.  The next day (magically!) it will have the texture of a super-fudgy brownie.  This is the teddy bears FAVORITE way to enjoy this cake (but I have to hide it really, really high up in the cupboard when they’re not looking.)
• You can substitute 1/2 cup unsalted butter for the 1/3 cup coconut oil, if you desire, but the coconut oil is so good for you….  I haven’t been able to bake this with butter to try this out for you, because right now I am extremely allergic to dairy.  However, by baking many things in the past, I have found that  more butter is needed when doing a substitution for coconut oil.  Try it and let me know how it turns out for you.
• I love Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips!  They are smooth, rich, chocolatey and totally yummy; they are wonderful for baking (and eating straight out of the package).  Also, these delicious chocolate chips don’t contain milk-fat (most brands of chocolate chips contain milk fat.) These lovely chocolate chips can be found at some grocery markets and drugstore chains.  

Happy baking and BIG HUGS to you all ~ I hope your day is Beary-Fantastic!  Lynn