Megan May shares her recipe for this rich and indulgent treat that requires no baking at all
This is for the serious chocolate lover, a rich chocolate cake base layered with chocolate cream frosting. If you like, serve with coconut whipped cream and raspberry coulis.
Raw desserts are one of the best ways to showcase the amazing flavours you can achieve with raw ingredients. It’s hard to imagine when eating this cake how it could possibly be raw; it just tastes insanely decadent and chocolatey. What is really brilliant about it, other than being full of chocolate, is that you now have a use for all that nut pulp you have left after making nut milk.
WET
3/4 cup date paste (see Tips)
1/4 cup raw agave, raw honey, organic maple syrup or more date paste
1/4 cup almond milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3 Tbsp cacao butter, melted (use coconut oil if you don’t have cacao butter)
DRY
3 cups almond pulp or 3 ½ cups almond flour (see Tips)
1 1/2 cups organic dessicated coconut, blended in a food processor to ‘flour’ consistency
3 Tbsp golden flax meal (see Tips)
1/3 cup freeze-dried raspberries
1/2 cup cacao powder, plus extra for dusting
Raw chocolate, shaved, for garnish (optional)
CHOCOLATE CREAM FROSTING
Flesh 2 large avocados
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup almond milk (or use water)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cacao butter, melted
1/3 cup cacao powder
1/3 cup raw agave, raw honey, organic maple syrup or date paste
1 tsp vanilla extract
Blend all wet ingredients, except coconut oil and cacao butter, in a high-speed blender until smooth. Slowly add oil and butter and blend until smooth.
Place dry ingredients (except raw chocolate), with a pinch of salt, in a bowl. Using a fork or whisk, lightly mix until well combined and there are no lumps of almond pulp.
Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a fork or whisk until well combined but still fluffy. Set aside while you make the frosting.
For the frosting, blend all the ingredients and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor until completely smooth.
Line a 20cm square cake tin (or a 22cm round tin if you don’t have a square one) with plastic wrap. Press half the cake mixture into the bottom and pour half the frosting on top.
Place in freezer for 30–40 minutes to set frosting then press rest of the cake mixture on top followed by the rest of the frosting. (For a different look, make thinner layers by dividing cake mix and frosting into thirds or quarters.)
Leave to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. It is now ready to serve or will keep in the fridge for 3–5 days.
To serve, dust with extra cacao powder, cut into small squares and, if desired, sprinkle with shaved raw chocolate.
Tip: To make date paste, soak ½ cup pitted dates in water overnight, strain and blend into paste with a little of the soaking water (aim for consistency of tomato paste). Almond pulp is what’s left after making almond milk (extract as much moisture as possible when making milk so pulp is fairly dry). If you don’t have almond pulp use almond flour (you can make your own by grinding raw almonds in a spice mill or food processor). You can buy flax meal or make your own by blending whole golden flaxseeds.
For more of Megan May’s recipes and other healthy ideas check out taste.co.nz.
