Decadent chocolate cake

Enjoy dessert without guilt with this healthier chocolate cake.

Limiting the added sugar and fats makes this dessert lower in calories than most chocolate cakes.

Ingredients (SERVES 12)

For cake:

1 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons water
2 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons roasted mashed yam
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1/2 cup boiling water

For topping:

2 ounces melted dark chocolate bar
12 ounces strawberries, sliced thin (optional)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and flour lightly.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix chia seeds with water and set aside to gel.

Slowly melt unsweetened dark chocolate. Allow it to cool slightly but don't let it harden.

In a large bowl, beat butter with yams, brown sugar, applesauce and honey for 2 minutes. Add chia gel and beat for another 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and then chocolate. Gradually stir in half the flour mixture and then half the yogurt. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and yogurt. Slowly and carefully stir in the boiling water. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Test cake with a toothpick. It should be wet but not gooey.

Cool in pan on a rack for 20 minutes.

Remove cake from pan and cut into 12 pieces.

Drizzle melted chocolate over cake. Place on plates and garnish with strawberries and cinnamon, if using.