I was in the mood for a creamy, chocolatey, slice-of-something-delicious the other day, but didn't feel like going heavy on the nuts. Actually, I know a lot of you need more nut-free, oil-free, and coconut-free options. So, I hereby present you with another yummy alternative recipe to suit those needs. Because cake CAN be gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, AND oil-free, and nut-free, and lots more -free, and still taste absolutely delish -- I submit this cake as proof.
Before I go any further, if you're one of the people interested in nut-free / oil-free alternatives, or really any kind of alternative recipe, be sure to check out the recipes section on this site. You can select all the tabs to suit your needs (like corn-free, soy-free, etc.) and find recipes tailored to your liking, including nut-free cakes similar to this one. Now, I must say this cake is slightly different, because it includes a special ingredient none of the other chocolate cakes on the blog have to date...
So, what makes this chocolate mousse cake creamy, dreamy, and absolutely scrumptious? If you follow along with any of my crazy cake experiments, I bet you're guessing already. Nope, it's not cauliflower or beans this time around... but a wholesome ingredient I've used in a few delicious cakes -- avocado!
If you can have avocado chocolate mousse, you can have avocado chocolate cake. And if you just don't like avocado, please suspend all objections for a moment while I attempt to win you over -- it doesn't taste like a vegetable in this cake, seriously. A certain special avocado-hater in my life turns up his nose when you even mention the a-word, yet I was able to serve him avocado in this cake without raising the slightest suspicion. Really, he had no idea -- and I didn't have the heart to tell him the main ingredient once he'd polished off most of the cake himself. If he couldn't taste it, I'm certain you'll be able to slip this one by the most discerning of palates.
Personally, I love avocado cakes. They're so easy, super quick to throw together, affordable (unless you live in Australia -- what a racket avocado prices are over there), allergy-friendly, and this gives you the option to make a raw cake without the usual coconut oil. So it's a win-win-win from all angles.
I made this as per usual in my 5" springform pan. To make it a 6", triple the recipe. You can also make it in a smaller size in muffin cups (just make sure to use a strip of parchment underneath so you can pull them out easily), or any lined small dish of your choice -- I often resort to tupperware containers when my pans are occupied...
PrintRaw Chocolate Mousse Cake
A creamy, vegan chocolate mousse cake with a special (and undetectable) hidden ingredient -- avocado! Gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
- ¾ cup raw (or toasted) pumpkin seeds (or a nut of your choice if you prefer)
- 1 soft medjool date, pitted
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
Filling:
- 2 medium-large avocados (discard pit & skin)
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 2 tbsp unsweetened plant milk (anything except coconut milk*)
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp unsulphured blackstrap molasses
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
Optional Toppings:
- fresh raspberries or other berries of choice. Other ideas: cacao nibs, shaved chocolate, etc.
Instructions
- Process all crust ingredients into a fine sticky crumble in a food processor. Transfer into a 5" springform pan and press into a crust with your fingers, covering the base and wall edges all the way to the top (I made the wall edges thinner and the base thicker). Freeze while working on next step.
- Blend all filling ingredients in a power blender into a smooth consistency. Transfer into the cake pan over the prepared crust and smooth out the top with a spoon. Top with raspberries or other toppings.
- Freeze for 5 hours or overnight. Thaw out a little prior to serving and enjoy! Keep leftovers frozen.
Notes
*Coconut milk sometimes reacts unfavorably with cacao in raw desserts, so I don't recommend it. I used almond milk (I'm not nut-free), but you can use rice milk, oat milk, seed milk, etc. of your choice.
Chris says
Audrey, your blog has inspired me to get a Springform pan, and I debuted it with this recipe. Delicious! My pan is six inches, and I found the crust worked well tripled but I did have quite a bit of filling left over (which I put in a cup to freeze with the rest of the raspberries--no hardship there!). Next time I'll probably double the filling and see how that goes. The sweetness level was just right for my family (we tend to like our recipes less sweet than most), and the sorghum I had on hand was a good substitute for the molasses (which I can't eat because of a sensitivity to anything derived from cane sugar). Once again, a hit!
The Real Person!
Thanks so much for the feedback and for sharing all your swaps. I'm glad you enjoyed the cake. Any extra filling can also just be eaten like mousse without freezing, by the way :)
Shi Min says
Avocados are indeed expensive. What can i use in replacement if i dont want to use coconut oil due to its flavour - can smell sour for some people. was that what u mean by unfavourable conditions with cacao? :)
The Real Person!
The avocados are an important component of the filling here. I'd suggest a different chocolate cake from the blog instead, rather than trying to replace them. Thankfully there are lots of options on the recipes page :) https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/all-recipes/
P.S. I don't think coconut oil would be a sufficient substitute here either way, even if you liked it. I know what you mean about it though -- I'm not the biggest fan myself, though don't mind using it in certain recipes.
Shi Min says
What is the unfavourable reaction with coconut oil and cacao powder you mentioned?
The Real Person!
Hi Shi Min. It's not coconut oil, but coconut milk. It's not an absolute thing and I've actually come around to combining coconut milk (not oil) with cacao powder more often these days again (the above is an older recipe). I found that once in a blue moon recipes made in tin pans (like the springform pans) can react with the ingredients in them negatively, especially if there are any scratches or exposed inner areas in them. After doing some research about it it turns out that pans that contain certain metals combined with acids + heat can draw out heavy metals into the contents of the cake, creating a nasty metallic sort of taste. It's extremely rare, but it's happened to me a few times. For some reason in the past I found that it happened sometimes with cacao and coconut in the same recipe, though not always. Either way, just to avoid any complications, I recommend using a different milk base here just in case, though coconut milk would be fine too.
Ashley says
Is there a frosting of some kind on the top of the cake or is that just the filling?
The Real Person!
Hi Ashley, it's just the filling. As the cake sets and thaws, the top layer that's most exposed to air darkens slightly.
Sophia says
I love your recipes!! I have a question about this one though - do we really need to triple the recipe to make a 6" cake? In other recipes, you say to double the recipe to go from a 6" - 9" pan, so tripling it for 1" threw me off. Thanks in advance!
The Real Person!
Hey Sophia. I know it sounds so little to go up an inch, but there's a huge volume difference between a 6" pan and a 5" pan and a 9" pan (think of it in terms of the number of cups of content you can fit in, and you'll see the difference). So with that in mind, the 5" cake and 6" cake aren't massively different in diameter, but they are in height and therefore volume. So if you want, you could double the recipe and have a thin / flat cake, or triple it to have it look just as tall as the small version. I hope that makes sense :)
Danaja says
Hey, when dates are mentioned in the recipe for the base, you probably meant you need one cup of pitted dates and not just 1 date, yes? ;)
The Real Person!
Hi Danaja, actually no -- I know it sounds odd, but it's literally just one date :) It's a really small cake, so unless you're multiplying the quantities you're good with just the one. It adds a hint of sweetness but is mostly there to help the texture. If you did a cup of dates it would turn into a spread instead.
Eva Vos says
Hi Audrey,
Been following you on Insta for a while, but just now went to your website. Gotta say, I love it!
Question about this delish recipe tho, is there anything 'conventional' you could replace the molasses with? I'm from the Netherlands, and although I think I could get it here somewhere, it would be expensive as it isn't a usual baking good over here.
Thanks!
The Real Person!
Hi Eva,
Thanks so much :)
You can omit the molasses altogether. It just adds a much deeper "malty" chocolate flavor. In the comments on this Tiramisu recipe someone said:
"I live in the Netherlands as well. I buy molasses at Kelly’s Expat Shop in The Hague. You can order it online. http://kellys-expat-shopping.nl/"
Hope that helps :)
Tiffany says
I am in awe! Just found your website and I love it so much! These pictures and recipes are awesome.
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Tiffany! :) Enjoy the recipes.
Kari says
Yum :) I adore chocolate avocado desserts and this cake is stunning.
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Kari! And yes, there's something to chocolate. Can never get enough.