Felix.  You’re four years old!

I was actually relieved that Felix and Xanthe end up with their own birthdays, but little Felix, who turned four years old on August 8th (the day after Xanthe) got the short end of the stick this year.  And yet, this kid has one of the sweetest, gentlest of personalities, and he smiled through the day, thrilled at each desperate gesture his tired mum made, to create some semblance of a birthday party in her postpartum haze.

Yes indeed, I’m such the super-mum, that I dragged myself off the sofa with little Xanthe in one arm, and lurched into the kitchen to make a cake.  If it hadn’t been for Treva, I don’t think I would have had the motivation (Treva *loves* to celebrate, and *loves* to bake, and wouldn’t hear of not making a cake for Felix’s birthday).  So I did it, but I guarantee the process wasn’t pretty (there was weeping).

Somehow though, this cake turned out beautifully! Dense and rich and pretty deluxe, if I don’t say so myself. And it’s my own recipe, so I was especially happy about it.  I’m really not capable of following someone else’s recipe–not only is it not nearly as much fun for me, but I always have stuff sitting in the fridge that needs to be used up! In this case, about a cup worth of boiled beets, and an old banana.  I always take notes of what I’m throwing into the bowl in the event that a masterpiece occurs, as I think it did in this case!

In the end, I think Felix was very happy.  Although it was just our family including a new baby sister, he had a cake, and candles, and a new scooter, and even the fireworks he had requested–we had to inform him that the hot air balloon ride might have to wait…possibly even a few years.

So here is my recipe for Felix’s Flourless, Gluten-free, Paleo Chocolate Cake.  It was insanely easy, because I just threw absolutely everything in together in the same bowl, and then went at it with an electric hand-mixer, so there is no method whatsoever to this madness.  Just mash the whole thing up, and throw it in the oven at a relatively low heat (250 or 300) for a couple of hours, or until set.  It will be dense and fudge-y.

1 and 1/2 cups almond meal

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup dates

1.5 cups coconut sugar (or one cup of honey)

1 cup of powdered raw cacao

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup of cooked beets

1 old banana

4 eggs

1 cup of coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla

For the ganache, I heated 1 cup of heavy cream to just below boiling, and then poured it over 1 cup of chocolate chips, stirred lots, (until chocolate melted, and the mixture was glossy) and then allowed to cool a little bit before pouring over the cake.