The BEST chocolate frosting EVER!

I made this chocolate frosting for my daughter's birthday cake (got it from one of my husband's cousins). It was really rich and actually more the consistency of a sort of pie than icing (it was fairly difficult to spread at times)....BUT it reminded me of my absolute favorite dessert ever, which is a Chocolate truffle tart made by Hail Merry (which I believe is a company from Austin, TX) sold at Real Foods in Orem, UT.

I haven't tried making a crust for it to totally emulate the truffle tart...but the frosting is almost exactly like the filling for the tart (which I'm more than happy to eat by itself)...so I thought I'd post the recipe for that for anyone trying to get a nice paleo/gluten free chocolate fix. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips; the higher % of cocoa the better (The first time I made this, I used Scharffen Berger's bittersweet chocolate, I believe. It was REALLY good. The second time, I used cocoa powder as I didn't want to go to the store. If you use cocoa powder, be sure to up your sweetener as otherwise it will be very bitter. I would suggest at LEAST 1/4 cup of honey...maybe even 1/2 cup if you don't like super dark chocolate.)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (The original recipe also said you can use grapeseed oil. I don't have any, so I use coconut. You could also use ghee or some other fat if you wanted.)
• 2T honey (The original said you can use agave...but since that's not paleo, I didn't. My husband's cousin (named Jennifer for here on out) used almond butter instead.  ...and remember, if you're using cocoa powder instead of a chocolate bar or chocolate chips, add more sugar)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• optional: 2-3 tbsp. of milk

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and coconut oil. 
2. Stir in honey, vanilla, and salt. 
3. Place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes to cool. 
4. Remove and whip frosting with a hand mixer until it is thick and fluffy. (I added 2-3 tbsp. of milk at this point to make it more smooth and spreadable...though the original recipe didn't call for milk at all.)
5. Frost over cake and serve. 

If you're actually using this to frost a cake, I believe I (at my husband's cousins suggestion), doubled the recipe. I frosted a 13x9 cake with it when I made it the first time. If you're not frosting a cake (just eating it for fun), it's plenty rich enough to last a few days nibbling spoonfuls every now and then. Adding the milk when you whip it makes it more creamy and easier to spoon out from the fridge...but just leaving it as is in the original recipe, it'll be like cracking apart and eating a chocolate bar. As with any sweets, try to control/limit yourself and not go too overboard. Enjoy!

The cake part wasn't as fantastic as the icing (obviously)...but if you want the recipe for that as well, here it is (pretty much copied from Jennifer's recipe at http://paleopeace.blogspot.com/2012/06/happy-birthday-jessipoo.html ):

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 10 eggs
• 1 cup grapeseed oil (I used 1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/4 cup olive oil)
• 1 1/2 cup honey (or agave nectar...or Jennifer did 1 lb. medjoul date, 1/2 cup applesauce, and a shot of espresso. She mixed it in a food processor and kept adding applesauce until it was the right consistency.)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. orange zest (I didn't add this)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda
2. In a large bowl, blend eggs, oil, honey, vanilla, and orange zest with an electric mixer. 
3. Add dry ingredients to wet and blend. 
4. Oil two 9-inch round cake pans or one 13x9 inch rectangular cake pan and dust with coconut flour
5. Pour batter into pans and bake at 325F for 35-40 minutes. 
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. Frost and serve.