This Paleo Triple Chocolate Cake is a triple-threat, death-by-chocolate ultra rich and moist experience just fully loaded to the brim with chocolate decadence!
Alternatively titled The BEST Paleo Chocolate Cake, Death By Chocolate Paleo Chocolate Cake, and Grain-Free Triple Threat Chocolate Cake, this paleo chocolate cake recipe is here for those who are out-of-this-world over-the-moon OBSESSED with chocolate!
You may remember from my recipe for The BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake last year that if I’m going to bake a chocolate cake, I’m going to put into application every possible chocolate element.
This Paleo Triple Chocolate Cake is the ultimate almond flour chocolate cake recipe that no one would venture to guess is grain-free and refined sugar-free.
It’s just so moist, rich, and fluffy with all the textural elements we love in a great cake!
Let’s discuss the components, because each and every one plays a significant role 🙂
The Paleo Chocolate Cake: Three layers of grain-free chocolate cake make up the bulk of this amazing experience. The cake has that perfect light yet somehow simultaneously dense texture that just makes your brain go berserk!
Chocolate Buttercream: A big batch of chocolate buttercream is used between each layer of chocolate cake for frosting and holding the layers together. It is also used on top. I went with more of a naked cake approach and left the sides open. You can do a crumb coat or make extra buttercream if you’d like to frost the sides of the cake as well.
Dairy-Free Ganache: A quick and simple ganache creates that dramatic drippy effect and adds beautiful shine to the cake. Not only is it crazy sweet and rich, it is also much fun for decorating!
Okay, now that we have the basics down, let’s dive into the details on how to make this beautiful vision a reality.
How to Make Paleo Triple Chocolate Cake:
Bake the Cake:
Begin by making the coffee 🙂 Mix the Instant coffee granules in with the hot water and allow it to sit and cool (be sure the mixture is at room temp before you incorporate it with the other ingredients).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 (8-inch) springform pans with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the instant coffee, full-fat coconut milk, melted butter, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until creamy and combined.
In a very large separate mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients until very well combined and all the clumps are out.
Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry mixture and mix until a thick cake batter forms.
Divide the cake batter between the three cake pans. Bake for 23 to 30 minutes, or until cakes test clean. Note: I only have two 8-inch spring form pans, so I baked two together and one separately.
Remove cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
Add the butter to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a mixing bowl and an electric hand whisk). Beat on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients for the buttercream and beat on low speed just until the dry ingredients are incorporated enough that they won’t fly into the air, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and then high speed and beat for 3 minutes, or until buttercream is completely combined and fluffy. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Note that the buttercream will be very stiff after refrigerating, so you’ll want to bring it to room temperature before using it to frost a cake or cupcakes.
Make the Ganache:
Combine the ingredients for the ganache in a mixing bowl and microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring well in between, until melted, about 50 to 60 seconds total. Set aside until ready to use. The ganache will thicken as it cools – this is a good thing!
Assemble the Paleo Triple Chocolate Cake:
Get out your cake stand (or the plate you’re using to serve the cake). Put about 2 tablespoons of buttercream in the center of the cake stand and spread it into an even layer before placing the first cake on top. This ensures the cake stays stable and doesn’t slide while you’re decorating and transporting the cake.
After adding the first cake, smear the top with buttercream. Add the second cake and a second layer of buttercream.
Repeat for the third cake. Smear any remaining buttercream around the edges of the cake to create a crumb coat (NOTE: you may want to make two batches of buttercream if you want the entire cake frosted, rather than the “naked” look).
Drizzle the ganache over the buttercream. I like making droplet effects by pouring it over the sides of the cake.
Slice and serve!
Note that the cake sets up and becomes even more flavorful the longer it sits. For this reason, I recommend preparing the cake at least 6 hours (ideally 24) before serving.
Pro Tip For Timing:
Because the cake needs to be cooled to room temperature before you frost it, be sure to bake it well in advance. I often bake the cake the day before I’m serving it to leave ample time for preparing the buttercream and ganache and assembling the cake.
As an alternative, you can definitely make the buttercream ahead of time. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature before spreading it over the cake. If the buttercream is stiff or too cold, it won’t spread easily and it will lift hunks of cake off and cause a crumbling effect.
My preference is to prepare the ganache and the buttercream just before I need to use it. I make the ganache first to give it time to cool and thicken up a bit, and I make the buttercream right before I want to frost the cake.
You can always refrigerate the entire cake after assembling it if need be. I leave the cake at room temperature on the counter, but if your house stays very warm, you may want to refrigerate it if the buttercream becomes too soft and melty.
As you may have noticed in my Chocolate Buttercream and Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache posts, there is plenty of opportunity to make the cake fully sugar-free, dairy-free, keto, or simply paleo.
Depending on your preferences or food allergies, you can choose your substitutions accordingly.
Can I Make This Recipe Dairy-Free?:
Yes! This whole cake can be made dairy-free by using coconut oil or vegan “butter” spread in the cake, dairy-free chocolate chips in the ganache, and red palm oil or vegan “butter” spread in the buttercream.
I baked this cake for my partner for his birthday and all who had a slice went berserk over it. We warmed our slices up in the microwave for about 20 seconds to allow the buttercream to melt into the cake, generating a fudge brownie effect…the experience is just otherworldly!
The cake itself goes a long way in serving people. You can easily get 12 generously-sized slices, but likely much more if you don’t go crazy with your portion sizes the way we do.
Make it for birthdays, holidays, special occasions of any kind! Baby showers, bridal showers…anywhere a chocoholic is present, let’s go!
More Delicious Cake Recipes:
- Paleo Blueberry Cake
- Flourless Keto Chocolate Cake
- Paleo Carrot Cake
- Healthy Pumpkin Cake
- Paleo Clementine Cake
May all the Paleo Triple Chocolate Cake decadence be with you!
Paleo Triple Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Paleo Chocolate Cake:
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 Tbsp Instant Coffee granules
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 cup ghee butter, or coconut oil, melted
- 4 eggs
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1 ⅔ cups coconut sugar
- 1 ⅔ cup raw cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Ganache:
- ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
- Pinch sea salt
Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1 cup grass-fed butter or red palm oil
- 3 ½ cups powdered maple sugar*
- ½ cup raw cacao powder
- 3 tbsp full fat canned coconut milk or heavy cream
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
Bake the Cake:
- Mix the Instant coffee granules with the hot water and allow it to sit and cool (be sure the mixture is at room temp before you incorporate it with the other ingredients).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 (8-inch) springform pans with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the instant coffee, full-fat coconut milk, melted butter, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until creamy and combined.
- In a very large separate mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients until very well combined and all the clumps are out.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry mixture and mix until a thick cake batter forms.
- Divide the cake batter between the three cake pans. Bake for 23 to 30 minutes, or until cakes test clean.
- Remove cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
- Add the butter to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a mixing bowl and an electric hand whisk). Beat on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the buttercream and beat on low speed just until the dry ingredients are incorporated enough that they won’t fly into the air, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and then high speed and beat for 3 minutes, or until buttercream is completely combined and fluffy. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Note that the buttercream will be very stiff after refrigerating, so you’ll want to bring it to room temperature before using it to frost a cake or cupcakes.
Make the Ganache:
- Combine the ingredients for the ganache in a mixing bowl and microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring well in between, until melted, about 50 to 60 seconds total. Set aside until ready to use. The ganache will thicken as it cools - this is a good thing!
Assemble the Paleo Triple Chocolate Cake:
- Get out your cake stand (or the plate you’re using to serve the cake). Put about 2 tablespoons of buttercream in the center of the cake stand and spread it into an even layer before placing the first cake on top. This ensures the cake stays stable and doesn’t slide while you’re decorating and transporting the cake.
- After adding the first cake, smear the top with buttercream. Add the second cake and a second layer of buttercream. Repeat for the third cake. Smear any remaining buttercream around the edges of the cake (NOTE: you may want to make two batches of buttercream if you want the entire cake frosted, rather than the "naked" look).
- Drizzle the ganache over the buttercream. I like making droplet effects by pouring it over the sides of the cake.
- Slice and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
I love layer cakes. Don’t you think that we could use regular cake pans lined with parchment? I really wouldn’t want to buy 3 and have to store 3 springform pans. I do have one 8″ springform pan. I do have 3 regular cake pans though. Sorry to be difficult. This would be perfect for my chocoholic husband’s birthday.
Hi Alene! No problem at all! I believe regular cake pans lined with parchment paper would work just fine! I would run a butter knife along the edge between the pan and the cakes to help release them, and I would definitely wait until they are fully cooled. The issue with grain-free cakes is they don’t hold together quite as well as regular cakes so you want to be sure they’re nice and set up before turning the cake pan over. I hope you and your chocoholic husband love the cake!! xoxo