Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Devilish Bites
Cakey more than fudgy, these devilishly good little morsels satisfy when that desire for chocolate comes calling.  These are guilt-free, happily, because they don’t rely on sugar or fat for flavor. Instead, they are climate-supportive and nutrient-dense, full of fiber and antioxidants. Instead of nuts, I used raw buckwheat for a little crunchy fun. They are gluten-free too.
 
Next to beef cattle, chocolate generates the most greenhouse gas food emissions, driven by deforestation and significant food loss in its supply chains. The chocolate trade is also rife with growers who employ slavery and child labor. So, make sure you choose ethical and sustainably-grown cacao by consulting the Food Empowerment Project’s “chocolate list” for reliable sources.
 
Prep 1 to 2 hours to drain yogurt plus 15 minutes
Bake 30 minutes
Makes about 40 ½-inch cubes
 
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon soy yogurt, strained, from 1 cup soy yogurt (see hint)
1 1/3 cup dense date paste from 2 cups pitted dates, any variety (see hint), or to taste
Pinch urfa biber, pasilla, guajillo, or other raisiny dried chili, ground into a powder (see hint)
1 cup oat flour
½ cup raw buckwheat groats
¼ cup cacao
1 tablespoon aluminum- and sodium-free baking powder, like Hain’s Featherweight
1 teaspoon 100% vanilla powder with no additives or sweeteners
½ teaspoon potassium bicarbonate baking soda
1 teaspoon shiro (white) miso paste
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
 
Hints
An hour or two before baking, use a sieve lined with muslin to strain a cup of soy yogurt. When ready, it should have a dense consistency and flavor akin to sour cream.
To make date paste, cut the dates into pieces, cover with water, and microwave for 3 minutes. When cool, blend the dates with only as much soaking water as needed into a dense paste.
Cut the dried chilies into pieces. Use a small blade coffee grinder to reduce into a powder. 
 
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 325°F convection, placing a rack on the middle oven shelf.
In a medium-large bowl combine the oat flour, buckwheat, cacao, baking powder, vanilla powder, baking soda, and chili powder, stirring them with a soft silicone spatula to mix well.
In a separate bowl combine the strained yogurt, date paste, miso paste, and vinegar. Use a small whisk to blend well.
Use the silicone spatula to scrape the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, folding them together to create a uniform batter.
Taste the batter and adjust flavor and sweetness levels as you like.
Scrape the batter into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
Baking for 30 minutes but begin checking for doneness at 20 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean but not quite. 
Remove the dish from the oven and place it on the cooling rack. The texture of the cake will continue to develop as it cools, so wait until then before cutting. Then, using a butter knife and cleaning it between slices, cut the cake into 1½-inch cubes.