Surprised to see avocado in a dessert? We see where you are coming from, but trust us, it works.
Avocado plays a key role in the mousse and keeps things light and creamy without the need to add in any cream or dairy (so this dessert is totally plant-based!) Aside from the benefits for texture, avocados are also high in healthy monounsaturated fats, dietary fibre, vitamin C and potassium.
Each tasty slice of cake also provides you with a healthy hit of natural antioxidants. Avocados, almonds and cocoa are all key contributors to the high antioxidant level. Foods like these are important to include in our diet, as antioxidants can assist with anti-aging and help foster good health as they neutralize free radicals.
When baking and cooking desserts, we recommend you try to limit your use of coconut oil and butter as these are both high in saturated fats and offer little health benefits.
Instead, experiment with nuts, nut butters, extra virgin olive oil and avocado.
Whilst these ingredients are high in fat, they are high in the healthy monounsaturated fats and low in saturated and trans saturated fats.
Serves - 8
Prep time -15 minutes
Cook time - 4 hours freezing
Gluten free
Dairy free
Vegetarian
Vegan
Ingredients
Base
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 8 fresh dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp water
Filling
- 3 ripe medium avocados, de-seeded
- 14 fresh dates, pitted
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 Punnet fresh raspberries, to top
How to make
1. Line both the base and sides of a 20cm spring-form cake pan with baking paper. To make the base of the cake, place the almonds, cocoa powder, dates and water in a food processor. Blitz for roughly two
minutes, or until combined. Transfer mixture to the cake pan and press firmly to flatten. Transfer pan to the freezer to set.
2. To make the filling, scoop out the avocado flesh and place in a food processor. Add in the dates, cocoa, vanilla, salt and water. Process for roughly 2 minutes or until the mixture is smooth.
3. Take the base out of the fridge and pour the filling over the top. Smooth with a spatula and return to freezer for four hours, or overnight.
4. When you are ready to serve the cake, remove pan. Allow to sit for roughly 15 minutes to defrost slightly and create ‘mousse’ texture. Top with fresh raspberries.
Leftover slices can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer. Best to consume within two days.
If it is a warm day, the cake may be quite messy to remove from the cake pan. If that is the case, smooth any melted edges or spots over with a flat knife and if required, shake a little cocoa powder over the top.
Nutritional information
| Kilojoules |
1300 kJ |
Protein |
7.3 g |
Carbohydrates, total
- sugars, total |
13.4 g
10.3 g
|
Fat, total
- saturated fat |
23.3 g
4.6 g |
| Sodium |
234 mg |
|
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Rachel Scoular is an avid foodie, APD rel="noopener noreferrer" Dietitian and founder of
@healthyhappyhabits