Paleo Gluten Free Frosted Cake Brownies
I really want to expand my horizons, I have always been a butter and sugar kind of gal and use it when I bake just about everything. On July 4th I went to a BBQ at a friends house and one of the guests practices a paleo lifestyle and has really done amazingly well. While we all enjoyed the cheesecake for dessert I watched her sit there with nothing and felt kind of bad. On Instagram I noticed a post for paleo brownies with a peanut butter frosting that looked amazing and I decided to give them a try. If you follow strict paleo, the brownies in the recipe are not 100% paleo as they have a peanut butter frosting and peanuts are not permitted. I chose to follow in that same line of thinking and the frosting I made is also not 100% paleo but it’s close. It really is delicious, I paleo-ized (don’t think thats a word) Merrill Stubbs buttercream recipe on food52, the same one I used for the dacquoise that I made a few months ago. Since the recipe calls for powdered sugar (not paleo) and coconut palm sugar is allowed, I thought I would make my own powdered sugar using the coconut palm sugar and a little coconut flour. It worked well, if I had a vitamix it probably would have been a little better but my Ninja did a pretty good job. There are a few pieces of the coconut sugar that didn’t break down but IMHO that gives it character. The coconut sugar gives the buttercream a caramel flavor.
The brownies which are really more like a cake are so easy to make, you put all the ingredients in a blender, process until smooth and pour into a prepared pan. Got to love that! NOTE: Be careful not to over bake, I think I did and they got a little dry. Whenever I make a recipe for the first time I follow it to the letter but if I make these again I will make a few changes. I am not going to embrace a paleo lifestyle although in theory it sounds good and I know people that have lost an incredible amount of weight and feel great but I find it too restrictive, but rather choose to try to eat healthfully with portion control and limit sugar. I also could not eat as much meat as you are supposed to eat on paleo, not my thing.
- Add chocolate chips or chunks or shaved chocolate (if going paleo find paleo friendly chocolate)
- The recipe said to use a 7 inch square pan, I have never seen a 7 inch pan and used my 8 inch pan which made them a little thinner than the ones pictured in the original recipe. It would be even better to use a 6 inch square if you can find one.
- Might increase the coconut oil a bit adding an additional tablespoon or 2.
Paleo/GF Brownies
Recipe from paleo gluten free eats
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut milk (full fat is best)
6 large eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Heat oven to 350 degree’s.
Line 8 inch square pan with parchment paper so there is an overhand on 2 sides. Grease the sides and bottom with a little coconut oil.
Add all the ingredients to your blender and process until smooth, you may need to scrape the sides once or twice. Scrape into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes (test after 20 minutes). Cake tester should come out fairly clean (a few crumbs are fine). Better to be a little under done than over done, it continues to bake a little after removed from the oven.
Powdered coconut sugar
1 cup coconut sugar
1 tbs coconut flour.
Place in high powered blender like vitamix and process until it’s powdery. It took about 10 minutes. If you have a vitamix use the dry container for this if not it’s ok, I used my to go cup on my ninja and it worked great. Place in a covered container. You might want to double the recipe if making the frosting because you need 1 1/2 cups.
Frosting
1 egg yolk from farm fresh egg or pasteurized egg
1 1/2 cup powdered coconut sugar
4 1/2 oz earth balance vegan butter or you could use coconut butter or even pure cocoa butter (earth balance is not paleo because it contains soy)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Place everything in a bowl and beat with your electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Frost the brownies when cooled and cut into pieces after frosting. Refrigerate until ready to use. NOTE: the egg can be eliminated but it gives a silky smooth texture that I love. The egg is not cooked or heated so make sure you use eggs from a trusted source, fresh or pasteurized.
I do not eat Paleo or gluten-free; however, I know if you made these brownies they will be delicious!
I don’t either but want to add some recipes to my repertoire in case I need them. This is really good, easy to make and if I were paleo I would really appreciate a treat like this. Thanks so much Michelle.
This is a truly fascinating post, Suzanne. I have to agree with Michelle — If you made it, I’ve no doubt it would be good, regardless of food “isms.” Mega hugs.
Thank you so much Teagan, It really is quite good, I was pleasantly surprised by how they turned out. I really like the frosting and had never used coconut palm sugar before and it’s quite good. Reading about it I was happy to see how low it is on the glycemic index.
Oh, that’s a nice bonus. 😀
Looks great. how long will the frosting last in the fridge?
I think it will last several days in the fridge but I think it can also be frozen.
These look fabulous, Suzanne. I too try to adopt a healthy lifestyle, but some of the diets are too restrictive for me too. What’s the news on your computer data?
Yes, I have a hard time being able to stick to a restrictive diet. I know paleo is a lifestyle not so much a diet and the problem is that if you go back to eating the way you normally eat even if modified you will gain back the weight you loss, so the key is to find a happy balance. I haven’t made it to the Genius Bar yet, I have been so busy, waiting until things calm down. Have a great day!!
They look marvellous, dear Suzanne.
As for ” usual ” chocolate cakes, I do not put them in the fridge, because it changes texture. They keep as well out the fridge, one week, I should say.
Amitiés et bises – france 🙂
Merci France, yes I normally do not like refrigerating baked goods but it was so warm the frosting was melting. I wonder if putting in the freezer would be better. Have a lovely day and hugs my friend!
your frosting looks so good! The colour makes me wonder if it was caramel or coffee…
Yes it looks like coffee or caramel, it actually tastes like caramel, the coconut sugar is brown and even processing into powdered sugar it’s still the color of light brown sugar. Thank you so much.
Ahhhh! That makes sense. It was hard to actually accept that it was made of coconut from the colour alone! LOL
These look so good I shared the recipe with my daughter-in-law. She loves cooking Paleo.
Thanks Sharon, the brownies are really paleo and the frosting can be adapted to be 100% paleo by eliminating the vegan butter.
I really love all cakes, but brownies are among my favourite and I really like your version of the recipe!
Once in a while I experiment with gluten free because my sister is gluten intolerant. These look wonderful Suzanne, I’ll keep these in mind for our next barbecue get together 😊
This is so kind of you Suzanne – to see someone not eating dessert and then figure out what would work. It’s a useful recipe to have on hand for its either gluten-free or paleo options. Thank you!
Where’s my Walnuts…😋
Dang forgot the walnuts😁😁😁
Peanut butter & chocolate!! Sounds like something everyone would love Suzanne! And I love your new term Paleo-ized!! Would show you were really trying to make your food work for your friend. Kind of like the “healty-ish” recipes in Bon Apetit magazine! You are amazing! HOpe you have a good weekend on the horizon. I have a young friend coming over to bake tomorrow morning– should be fun! hugs from here!
Oh my these sound terrific!
I have a difficult time with diets but I am always willing to try new things.
Wow, you went all out on these! What an interesting recipe and it just goes to show what someone who knows how to cook can make over a paleo recipe. I’m going to have to show this to my sister, who does paleo off and on, and has a Vitamix. Yeah, I’m jealous! 🙂
These look amazing Suzanne! I wouuld love to try them as I have trying to cut down of my use of white sugar and flour.
I’m not a brownie person, but I L–O–O–O–V–V–V–E pugs.
You are a true foodie when you want everyone to enjoy sitting at your table. I’m not on any dietary plan but would dig into these brownies any day of the week. I love chocolate and peanut butter together!
Good for you for trying something different. Your brownies look great and I’m sure they were delicious. Adding chocolate chips sounds a good idea, too. I’ve never tried paleo, either, and probably won’t, but some people swear by it as a way of losing weight. One of my daughters tried it for a while, and it did work, but she did say she could only do it short-term. (I don’t suppose Mr and Mrs Caveman had the choice of anything else.) 😀
I don’t know what paleo is but this recipe is a winner! I love the Yummy frosting too!
Mmmmmmmmmmmm!
Thank you Sophie, paleo is not a diet it’s more of a lifestyle that is very popular in the USA. No dairy, grains, legumes refined sugar (almost no sugar) lots of vegetables, fruit and protein. Have a great day!!
Wow! This is such a mouth-watering treat! What kind/brand of coconut oil did you use?
Hi Agnes’s, thank you so much. I use different brands of coconut oil, spectrum is one of my favorites but I have a big container of coconut oil I got at Costco which is what I used in this recipe. Thank you again!
Beautiful post Suzanne. Frosting looks absolutely gorgeous!
Yum! These sounds delicious. I am trying to eat more paleo-based, so this will be a great sweet treat to try.
These look INCREDIBLE!
These look amazing!
YUM! I’m going to make these for sure. Thanks for posting!
These look delicious!!!!! I need to try!
These look delicious! Can I use coconut oil in place of the Vegan butter?
Hi Emmy yes absolutely!!
Yay, thanks!
I’ve never seen powdered coconut sugar, but I’ll have to look next time I’m shopping! I wonder if you could put regular coconut sugar in a high speed blender? In any case, YAY FROSTING!
That’s what I did put coconut sugar in my high speed blender. Worked great. I have sweetened condensed coconut milk but have never seen powdered coconut sugar. Thank you so much!