Teff and Chocolate Cake-Garnish Your Way!

Whole grain teff has over twice the iron of other grains and three times the calcium.  There is an inherent sweetness in teff and combined with cocoa , I was able to decrease the added sugars to achieve a healthy, delicious dessert.  The cake recipe is based on one in Alice Medrich's Flavor Flours Cookbook.  She recommends slicing the one layer in thirds.  I chose to slice it in two.  Because we're a small family of two seniors, I chose to cut the sugar in half..

Teff and Cocoa Sponge Cake

(10 servings)

Sift cocoa in bowl.  Mix with flour.
5 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa (not the Dutch processed kind)
1/2 cup teff flour

Combine eggs, sugar and salt in bowl of electric mixer with whisk attachment.  Beat on high speed 5 minutes.  
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Heat buttery sticks, melt and pour into deep reserved bowl.
3 tablespoon vegan buttery sticks

Remove mixer bowl with whipped egg-sugar-salt mix.  Fold in 1/3 of the flour-cocoa mix.  Repeat with half the remaining flour, then the rest of the flour.  

Scrape 1/4 of the batter into the hot butter.  Fold until butter is completely blended.  Scrape batter over the remaining butter and fold just until blended. 

Pour into 8 inch springform pan with parchment lined bottom.

Bake at 335 F for 30 minutes.  While the cake is hot, run a spatula around the inside of the pan, pressing against the sides of the pan.  

Invert pan onto rack to remove the paper.  Turn the cake right up to frost.

The above cake was sliced in half and iced with a slightly sweetened whipped cream. (1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla)  Topped with pomegranate seeds and juice, this made a delightful Christmas dessert.

I'd previously made the cake and filled with Alice Medrich's icing, using 2/3 of the ingredients and only 1/3 of the sugar in the coconut frosting.  It also was yummy.