Kombucha-Spiked Chocolate Mud Cake (Gluten & Dairy Free)
A rich, dark, deeply indulgent cake with a wholesome twist.
Life. It’s been busy, manic and timeless. Rushed, exhausting and a little chaotic. I keep telling myself tomorrow will be calmer… tomorrow. Yet tomorrow arrives with the same tumble of moments, the same wild momentum.
Lately, I’ve been out of sync, like I’m running two steps behind the universe. Everything feels slightly off-kilter. Those everyday, done-them-a-thousand-times tasks suddenly unravel. First you laugh at the missteps, but by the end of 24 hours, you want to sit on the kitchen floor and cry. With two crazy tumbleweeds of kids rolling across the house in a swirl of fists, kicks, and pure wild energy — it’s been a lot.
So I’m choosing to sit. To breathe, To indulge with intention, To let the world cycle back around to me.
It’s time to sit. And indulge and be calm.
Waiting for that beautiful earth to meet me.
This is where cake comes in — and not just any cake. A deeply rich, dark, healthy (mostly) mud cake. A cake that feels indulgent but feeds your system with goodness. A cake that tastes nothing like “healthiness,” but happens to contain no gluten, no dairy, no refined sugar and… no chocolate. Yes, really.
Instead, this beauty leans into the earthy goodness of besan flour, the caramel depth of rapadura sugar, the richness of olive oil and coconut milk, and a surprising secret ingredient: kombucha. It brings lift, tang, and a gorgeous crumb — and gives this cake its signature complexity.
This is the cake I make when life feels too loud. When I need grounding. When a cup of Russian Caravan tea in a white teapot and a slice of something dark and comforting is the reset button I’ve been chasing.
This cake is my pause. My recalibration. My catching up to myself.
And maybe it will be yours too.
Why You’ll Love This Kombucha-Spiked Chocolate Mud Cake
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Gluten and dairy free — but you’d never know.
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Rich, dense and velvety, with that old-school mud cake mood.
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Naturally sweetened with rapadura sugar for caramel depth.
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Made with besan flour, adding protein, fibre and nutrients.
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Kombucha brings a gorgeous lift and subtle tang (or swap for ACV).
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Ridiculously easy — a true midweek cake.
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No chocolate required, yet still deeply chocolatey thanks to cocoa.
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One bowl for dry ingredients + one bowl for wet — minimal effort, maximum indulgence.
It’s the kind of cake that tastes like you spent hours on it… but didn’t.
This Kombucha-Spiked Chocolate Mud Cake is the cake I return to when I need grounding, comfort, and something rich enough to feel indulgent but nourishing enough that my body says thank you. It’s simple, soulful and steadying — the kind of recipe that slots easily into the chaos of life and gives back more than the effort it takes.
If life feels fast, make this cake. Sit. Breathe. Let the world come back around to you.
And enjoy a slice of something dark and delicious while it does.
Being gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, containing no chocolate and spiked with kombucha I would argue that this IS the healthiest chocolate cake around, that also tastes the richest and most unhealthy.
Besan Flour
Made on a Besan or chickpea flour base which is an unrefined flour full of nutrients (I have written about it here if you want more info).
Oil and Milk
The oil component comes from a milk olive oil and coconut quench a coconut milk sold in supermarkets in Australia is the milk and fat component helping the body to absorb specific vitamins and nutrients.
Sugar
Rapadura sugar is where the sweet comes from. Made from the juice of the sugar cane, it is boiled down to a syrup (think maple syrup) then left to harden and ground to produce a sugar that kind of looks like brown sugar, without the softness, tastes like amazing caramel and has had very little done to it. It is also called Jaggery in the Indian community.
Kombucha
And then for the Kombucha. A fermented super drink that tastes and acts similarly to apple cider vinegar. In fact they are made in the same way and contain the same acid producing bacteria. Full of probiotic, good yeasts and bacterias. An all round awesome drink to add to your system. It’s rumored that Ronald Reagan used to drink it everyday. In this recipe the kombucha is used to help leavening and to sour the coconut milk so it resembles buttermilk. If you ever need buttermilk for a recipe and you don’t have any, simply add 1 tbsp of vinegar to a cup of milk, allow to stand a minute or so and then use as you would buttermilk.
Recipe: Kombucha-Spiked Chocolate Mud Cake
Serves 10 | Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free
Ingredients
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1 ½ cups Besan (chickpea) flour
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1 tsp baking powder
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6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
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Pinch of salt
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1 ¼ cups rapadura sugar (or brown sugar)
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4 eggs
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2 tsp vanilla extract
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¾ cup Coconut Quench (or milk of choice)
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3 tsp kombucha (or apple cider vinegar)
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½ cup mild olive oil
Method
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Preheat your oven to 140°C fan forced and grease + line a 23cm springform tin.
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Sift together the besan flour, baking powder, cocoa, salt and sugar.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla, Coconut Quench, kombucha and olive oil until emulsified.
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Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
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Pour into the prepared tin.
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Bake for 1 hr 10 mins, or until the centre is just set.
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Allow to cool in the tin before slicing.
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Serve with fresh berries and a dust of icing sugar (optional).
Tips & Variations
• No rapadura sugar?
Use brown sugar — it won’t have the same caramel undertone but works beautifully.
• Coconut Quench substitute
Use any dairy-free milk, or half coconut milk + half water for richness.
• No kombucha?
Apple cider vinegar is perfect — it mimics the acidity and helps with lift.
• Want a deeper flavour?
Add 1 teaspoon espresso powder to the dry ingredients.
• For extra decadence:
Top with whipped coconut cream, a drizzle of tahini, or a ganache made from coconut milk + cocoa.
• Add-ins:
Dark chocolate chips (dairy free), raspberries, or chopped walnuts.
Serving & Storage
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Serve at room temperature for the best texture.
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Store covered on the bench for 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Freezes beautifully — slice, wrap, and freeze for quick afternoon moments of calm.
FAQ
Q. Can I use regular flour?
Yes, but the cake will be lighter and less dense. Reduce baking time slightly.
Q. Can I make this egg-free?
Besan can be temperamental with egg substitutes, but flax eggs can work. Expect a denser crumb.
Q. Does it taste like kombucha?
Not at all. It simply adds lift and complexity — like a gentle tang that makes everything richer.
Q. Is it kid-friendly?
Absolutely. Mine devour it.
Kombucha Spiked Chocolate Mud Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Besan Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 6 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Pinch Salt
- 1 1/4 cup Rapadura Sugar or brown sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup Coconut Quench or milk of choice
- 3 tsp Kombucha or Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup mild olive oil
Instructions
- Oven preheated to 140C (fan forced) and a 23cm spring form cake tin oiled and lined with silicone paper
- Sift Besan flour, Baking powder, Cocoa powder, salt and Sugar into a bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, coconut quench, kombucha and oil until emulsified.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients and stir until just but full combined.
- Pour into the lined cake tin.
- Place in the center rack of the oven and bake fro 1hr 10 minutes or until just cooked.
- Allow to cool slightly in the tin.
- Serve with Berries and dust with icing sugar.
Notes
- Besan flour or chickpea or chana flour is available from health food stores, online or make friends with your local Indian grocers or Indian restaurant.
- Substitute rapadura sugar with brown sugar if you can’t find it, but look in health food stores, in your major supermarkets health and sugar isles or online.
- Coconut quench is a new product available in Australia in major supermarkets in the long life milk isle. It makes amazing coffee. You can substitute with another milk of choice including nut milks or use half coconut milk and half water.
- Kombucha can be found in health food stores in the fridge but you can use a good quality apple cider vinegar instead.
If you loved this recipe try one of these
Chocolate Mud Cake
Baked Passionfruit Cheesecake
Little Chocolate beetroot Cakes
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Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love to see your version of this Kombucha Spiked Healthy Chocolate Mud Cake!
Tag @thekrookedspoon on Instagram and use #thekrookedspoon so I can share your creation.
