My try at the Diva {Ding} Dongs

I'm not a Diva.  Not in any way, shape or form.  Once, at the school where I work, a woman registering her kids for school put on the employment line of a required form: Domestic Diva.

I believe in homemaking!  I think women have a God-given ability to make a home like no man.  But I am noooooo domestic diva.  I strive to perform the domestic arts with some level of skill.  I'm a domestic wannabe.  I can cook, but even there I'm no diva.  The lady over at Diva Dish... that girl can at least take some amazing pictures and if her comments speak for her recipe quality, the girl can bake too.  I did not make out so well with her recipe, but I don't believe for one second it has anything to do with her recipe.  It's all on me.

First problem was when I went shopping last week and bought canned coconut milk I bought Sprouts' brand which has guar gum in it.  The last canned milk I bought was strictly coconut milk and water.  They probably stopped carrying the other kind because it separates in the can and is kind of a pain if you were hoping for creamy out-of-the-can coconut milk.  But separated is exactly what's needed for this recipe.

So if you're gonna make this one, make sure the coconut milk doesn't have any guar gum or other weird ingredients in it. 

 (My dry ingredients.  Unlike the Diva, I used coconut flour and almond meal.)

 (For my chocolate coating I used a Ghirardelli 100% cocoa bar... dark and delicious!)

(I didn't let the cake cool for long enough.  It's really moist and scrumptious and falls apart too easy when warm, hence the not-so-circular shape)

 

(The mountain of chocolate cake deliciousness that was left after cutting the Ding Dong circles out.  Uh... it didn't remain a mountain for long.)

(Taste test by Ryland shortly after dipping in chocolate coating, before it hardened.  After tasting the ones that sat in the fridge overnight with a hardened chocolate coating he said, "It's good.  But it's better when it's cold.")

 

They definitely don't look like the Diva's Ding Dongs.  But if you need chocolate.  And you need grain-free.  And you need desert.  This will hit the spot. What should I call it?  Chocolate Mess Cakes?

Ok.  So the recipe from the Diva is here.  Below are my grain-free, sugar-free substitutes in bold:

For the cake part:

1/2 c. coconut flour

1/2 c. almond meal

1/4 c. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

dash of salt

1 1/2 TB. tapioca starch

1/4 c. melted coconut oil

1/4 c. applesauce (room temperature)

1/2 c. coconut milk(room temperature)

1/4 c. honey (room temperature)

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. dates + 1/4 c. water pureed together to form a paste. (you can do this with a blender or food processor)

For the filling:

I flopped here trying to use my un-separated coconut milk.  Didn't work. At. All.  Stick with the Diva's recipe!

For the coating:

1 -100% cocoa chocolate bar (4 oz. Ghirardelli)

1/8 c. coconut oil

3 TB. honey