A truly indulgent cake, this chocolate layered cake uses a fluffy Italian Meringue Frosting between the layers and all around.  It's decadent and truly a cake for a special occasion.  It's best eaten as soon as possible after making the frosting.

This cake is gorgeous and so delicious.  It’s a really special treat, because it has a marshmallow frosting which is really an Italian Meringue without the refined sugar.  It’s like heaven swirled on top of a chocolate cake.  Does it get any better than that??

This cake is inspired by the cake on the cover of Elana Amsterdam’s The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook.  My daughter saw it and said, “I want you to make that cake, mommy.”  And so another baking adventure began, because I cannot turn down a baking request from my sweet little girl. 

And when I showed her the finished cake on a cake stand, she got the happiest smile on her face, and when I put a big slice on a plate in front of her, she was positively glowing. 

The only caveat with this amazing cake is that the marshmallow frosting does not refrigerate well, so you really have to eat this cake the same day you make it.  However, you CAN bake the chocolate cake layers one day ahead of time.  Then, on the day you plan to serve it, just make the frosting. 

I know that just the phrase “Italian Meringue” might send people running away from the kitchen and others might be thinking, So meringues have nationalities now?  Don’t worry.  There are only 3 types of meringues.  Most people are familiar with French meringue which is the one that you bake in the oven.  It’s used for pavlovas and meringue cookies.

There’s Swiss Meringue which is just not used as much, and then there’s Italian Meringue which is totally worth learning to make.  Because it’s delicious and it’s actually really easy to make.  It’s how marshmallows are made more or less and it’s the topping that’s torched on top of lemon meringue pies or key lime pies or Baked Alaskas.  It’s a handy frosting to have up your sleeve (not literally, of course – that would be a mess), and you’ll feel like such an ace after you’ve made your first Italian Meringue.

So, please treat yourself or wow your friends and family, and make this delicious Paleo Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting as soon as you can. 

Why You’ll LOVE this Recipe:

• Paleo
• Gluten Free
• Dairy Free
• Refined Sugar Free
• Fluffy mashmallow icing
• Tender chocolate cake
• Perfect for a special occasion

Ingredients for Paleo Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting:

• almond flour
• cocoa powder
• baking powder           
• kosher salt
• eggs
• Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
• vanilla extract
• liquid stevia
• maple syrup
• egg whites
• pinch of salt
• cream of tartar

Notes on Ingredients:

Almond flour – This low carb Paleo flour is high in fiber and protein, so it gives the cake a wonderfully tender texture, and it will fill you up faster. 

Cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) – Use unsweetened cocoa powder that is NOT Dutch-processed and NOT alkalized.  I used Hershey’s brand, and it worked great.

Baking powder – This is the leavener for the cake.  

Kosher salt – For flavor in the cake and also to help the egg whites in the Italian Meringue frosting whip up better and fluffier.

Eggs – Whole eggs in the cake, for structure and binding.

Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks – This neutral tasting shortening behaves very similarly to butter, providing good structure and flavor to tastes without heaviness or greasiness.

Vanilla extract – For flavor.

Liquid stevia – This is the only sweetener in the cake.  I always use liquid stevia, never powdered.

Maple syrup – For the Marshmallow Frosting, we need a sugar syrup, and that means we need a liquid sugar.  Maple syrup is the best option for that, and I have used it with success in French Meringues in the past. 

Egg whites – Egg whites form the base and structure of the Marshmallow Frosting. 

Cream of tartar – This is an acid that helps to stabilize the egg whites when they’re being beaten.

How to Make Paleo Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting From Scratch

Make the Cake Layers

Please note that you can make the chocolate cake layers the day before and freeze them until ready to slice and assemble.

To bake the cake layers, first preheat the oven to 350 F.  Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by greasing the bottoms and sides with Spectrum Organic All-Vegetable Shortening.  Line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Melt the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.  Add the melted Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, eggs, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia to the dry ingredients.  Stir until there are no more lumps.

Spoon the cake batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool in the pans for 20 minutes.  Run a butter knife around the edges of the cakes pans to make releasing the cake easier.  Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack. 

Wrap each cake in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.  Freezing the cakes makes it a lot easier to level them and slice them, and it also supposedly improves the texture.

Remove the cakes from the freezer.  Use a cake leveler to level the tops of each cake and then slice each cake into two layers.  You should now have 4 layers of cake.

Make the Marshmallow Frosting

In a small pan, heat the maple syrup over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until the maple syrup reaches 240 F.  I couldn’t get my maple syrup to rise past 200 F, but that was good enough. 

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt starting on low and increasing the speed to medium until stiff peaks form.  Add the cream of tartar and vanilla to egg whites.

With the stand mixer running on medium, slowly pour the hot maple syrup into the mixer.  Beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.  Pouring the hot syrup into the egg whites cooks the egg whites, and that’s what makes this frosting okay to eat on top of a cake.

Assemble the Cake

Assemble the cake.  Place one layer of cake on a cake stand.  Spread with Marshmallow Frosting.  Repeat until all cake layers have been used.  Spread the top and sides of the cake with Marshmallow Frosting. 

Serve immediately.  This cake does not store well, because the Marshmallow Frosting will deflate.  This cake is best eaten on the same day that it is made.

More Sugar Free Cake Recipes:

• Paleo Double Chocolate Cake
• Paleo Black Forest Cake
• Paleo Orange Chocolate Cake
• Paleo Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake
• Paleo Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake
• Paleo Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting