Honest-to-God Healthy Chocolate Cake

I know what you’re thinking…

“Yeah right, it’s probably a healthy cake pretending to be a chocolate cake… or a deluded chocolate cake that thinks it’s healthy…”

Honest to God, this cake is both.

 

Don’t get me wrong, this is not ‘diet’ food, but ‘diets’ in the traditional sense are really losing favour these days, and the focus has shifted to general healthy eating instead. My mantra; keep it as natural as possible, eat a balanced and varied diet, and if you want to stay in shape then recognise that whatever goes in must be used up, or it’s going to end up somewhere you’d rather it didn’t (namely for me, my thighs!).

For those of you who’s idea of healthy does not include anything sweet, well, you’re never going to appreciate this recipe.

For those of you who like to take care of your body but still find yourself dreaming of a big fat juicy chocolate cake, or heck, even just the block of chocolate, this one is for you.

So what’s so good about it?

1. No refined sugar
2. No dairy (if that’s your thing)
3. Gluten free
4. It’s got vegetables in it
5. It ACTUALLY tastes like chocolate cake

The bulk of the cake is made up of butternut squash, while the chocolate icing is made with avocados. The chocolate flavour is from raw cacao powder, and the sweeteners are dates, honey and a little bit of pure maple.

Avocados in frosting? Well, it’s certainly not a ground breaking concept, but I suspect those of you who came here expecting one of my sugary creations might be a little sceptical…

If you trust me on anything, trust me on this; this frosting is INCREDIBLE.

A fudgy, chocolate, ganache-type frosting; rich and sweet, silky smooth, holds up to piping…

It even holds its shape pretty well when heated!
(ever tried warming up a cupcake covered in buttercream?? sweet melted butter is not nearly as good as it sounds)

The cake itself is light with a deliciously soft crumb, not too sweet, and the perfect chocolatey-ness to appeal to all tastes. Even the kids loved it!

My favourites for this bake…

 

Click the image to shop the products.

 

Healthy Chocolate Fudge Cake

Yield: two layer 6″ cake

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake

125g dates, puréed
230g roasted butternut squash (from one medium squash)
80g raw honey
20g pure maple syrup
50g almond butter
5 eggs
55g raw cacao powder
60g coconut flour
30g ground almonds
10g baking soda

For the chocolate fudge frosting

125g dates, puréed
250g avocado
100g raw honey
35g almond butter
40g raw cacao powder

Method

For the chocolate cake

Preheat oven to 180°C/350° F/Gas Mark 4.

Slice the butternut squash down the middle and place face down on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place in the oven and bake for around one hour, or until soft all the way through.

While the squash is baking, place the dates for the cake and the frosting (250g) in a saucepan and cover with water. Set over the heat and simmer until the water has almost evaporated and the dates are soft. Leave to cool, then place in a food processor and process until smooth.

Scoop out the roasted butternut squash and place in a bowl with half the puréed dates.

Add the honey and almond butter and beat together until smooth, then beat in the eggs.

 

In a separate bowl sift the dry ingredients together, stir to combine, then fold the two mixtures together.

 

Line a 6″ (15cm) cake tin with baking paper and grease the sides with butter, then divide the batter in two and bake each cake layer for 35 minutes.

 

For the chocolate fudge frosting

Place the puréed dates, avocado, honey and almond butter into a food processor and pulse until smooth, then add the cacao powder and pulse again.

If needed, add in a little more honey or cacao powder to your taste.

Assembling the cake

Level the cake layers with a cake cutting wire or serrated knife, then place on the base of your cake stand and cover with a layer of frosting.

 

I was originally going to go for the naked cake look with this one, but I had plenty of frosting left over so decided to frost the cake completely in the end.

Top the cake with some chopped pistachios and freeze-dried raspberries for a zesty crunch.

 

Enjoy… x