Paleo Beetroot Mud Cake

I have recently been experimenting with Paleo deserts. I came across a beetroot chocolate mud cake online and decided to change the recipe around to make it paleo. I added / substituted a few things from the original recipe and used avocado mousse for the frosting instead of icing sugar. I was pleasantly surprised with how the cake turned out!

Here is the recipe:

JERRY'S PALEO BETROOT CHOC MUD CAKE:

Base:

Ingredients:

- 3 roasted beetroots (wrap beets in foil and cook for 30 mins on 180) 

- 3-4 tablespoons of raw cacao 

- 2 eggs (free range)

- 1 & 1/3 cup almond meal

- 3 tablespoons of tapioca flour

- 3 tablespoon desiccated coconut 

- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil

- 2 tablespoons of almond butter (not essential)

(you can play around with the flour/ almond butter and just add whatever you like)

- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder / paste / liquid 

- pinch of himalayan salt 

-sweetener of choice (I think I used about 4 tablespoons of xylitol and a teaspoon sativa) 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
2. Add roasted and cooled beets to blender. Blend into a smooth puree.
3. Add eggs, coconut oil, almond butter, vanilla extract, baking soda and sweetener to blender

     4.  Combine left over dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add wet mixture and mix until all ingredients are combined. 

    5. Line a round cake tin with baking paper. Add cake mixture to tin.

    6. Bake cake on 160 for 35 minutes. 

    7. Remove from oven and wait to cool before adding frosting.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

- 2 large ripe avocados 

- 1/3 cup coconut oil

- 1/2 cup sweeter of choice (honey, maple syrup, rice malt syrup etc)

- 3 tablespoons of raw cacao 

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder / paste / liquid 

- pinch of himalayan salt

Method: 

     8. Skin avocados and remove the pip

     9. Blend avocados in a food processor until smooth

    10. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined

    11. Place in fridge for 1 hour to set before adding to cake 

    12. Once cake has cooled and frosting has set, spread frosting over cake. Decorate with your favourite nuts or berries. 

   13. To make a double layered cake, double the cake mixture recipe and add frosting between cakes to hold them together. (there should be enough frosting to make double layered cake from 2 avocados)

Please note:

As I was just experimenting with this cake, each layer turned out to be a different colour.

I added 3 beetroots and about 3 tablespoons of cacao to the bottom layer of mixture in the cake pictured below. In the top layer I added 2 and a half beetroots and 4 tablespoons of cacao. Feel free to do the same, the two different cake colours stacked on top of each other came out looking and tasting fantastic.

Enjoy! 

3 months into treatment

Last week marked the completion of my third month of treatment for Lyme disease and co-infections. For the past three months I have been taking many different anti-microbials (monthly rotations), I have stuck to a strict Paleo diet as well as boosting my immune system by taking many different herbs, vitamins and other supplements.
It hasn't be an easy three months. There have been many lows but also many highs along the way. Although I still have many symptoms and my health is nowhere close to where it used to be, I have made an incredible recovery in the short space of three months!
When I reflect back on my health and life only a few months ago, I realise just how far I have come. Only three months ago I was in constant pain all over my body, I had no energy, I couldn't drive, couldn't walk on some days, it was difficult to get out of bed, my body was twitching, I had shortness of breath and much more.
Today I feel like a different person. I am now doing light exercise every second day, I am walking around the house, cooking for myself, driving my car and am in less pain. I no longer have any twitching, my breathing is significantly better and I have more energy.
I believe that I have put a lot of hard work into regaining my health over the past few months. It feels fantastic knowing that what I am doing is making me better, and although I still don't feel like my normal self, my health is much better than it once was.
I have had a great support system throughout my entire Lyme journey, and I truly believe that this has helped considerably helped me in my healing process. Not only do I put my good recovery down to diet, medication and rest - but the love and support that I have received from my friends and family has been overwhelming. I am very grateful to have such an incredible support system.
I also believe that yoga, meditation, a positive mind, reiki, FAR infrared Saunas, acupuncture and getting out of bed even when I'm in considerable pain, have all helped my body heal form this illness.
I am now on my fourth month of treatment. For the next six weeks I will be focusing on ridding my body of Streptococcal infection which is proving to have a detrimental effect on my immune system, making it harder for my body to beat the Lyme infections. My doctor suggested that I use an antibiotic for the next months or so to get rid of the Strep infection, however I decided not to use the antibiotic (as my body has proven to be very allergic / sensitive to antibiotics), and my naturopath made me up a Strep herbal complexion instead. I will have another stool test in six weeks to see whether I have got rid of the infection or not.