Get inspired by our easy, delicious and gluten-free recipe of the day!
Dip your fork into a slice of fudge chocolate avocado cake topped with silky chocolate avocado frosting! You’d never guess this decadent-tasting dessert is sugar-free, dairy-free, and Keto — and there’s a Paleo option, too. You can’t taste the avocado at all – it makes this recipe deliciously chewy, yet surprisingly light. If you had told me a few years ago that I would be singing the praises of Chocolate Avocado Cake today, I would probably have laughed in your face. The avocado was something you mash into a guacamole, period. Since then, I have discovered the beauty of vegetables in baking. From my super easy Keto Carrot Cake to Chewy Pumpkin Brownies, I now know that veggies work wonders in desserts! Let’s go !
Normally I will use butter and double or heavy cream in my cake recipes. Replacing those dairy fats with avocado turns this cake into a nutritional powerhouse: avocado is packed with vitamins, contains more potassium than bananas, is high in fiber and loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. Do not mistake yourself. Butter or coconut oil in cakes tastes great. But by replacing them with avocado, this cake tastes much lighter than a regular cake despite being incredibly moist. Which brings us to the essential question: does the cake taste like avocado? Absolutely don’t believe me!
The chocolate-avocado cake recipe step by step
- Blend the avocado in a food processor with the eggs, almond milk, coconut cream, cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Blend for a few minutes until the mixture is perfectly smooth and no lumps remain. If necessary, scrape the sides with a spatula in between. If you don’t have a food processor, just use your electric mixer. It helps if you chop or mash the avocado before blending. Take your time (more time than you’ll need with a food processor). Avoid green lumps in your cake.
- Now add the dry ingredients, almond flour, baking powder and sweetener and mix again until well combined.
- Line a 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides so the cake doesn’t stick. Pour the batter and bake for about 30-35 minutes until the top is firm.
- If you’re a purist, your job is done. Just let it cool and sprinkle it with cocoa powder. Make sure the cake is completely cool before you sprinkle it! If it’s still hot, the humidity will turn the cocoa into an unsightly slime.
- Personally, I hope you’ll opt for the frosting, because it’s so delicious. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie or in the microwave (in 30-second increments). Blend the avocado, sweetener, cocoa powder and almond milk in a food processor until absolutely smooth. Finally, add the melted chocolate and stir until well blended. Spread your completely cooled cake (you don’t want the frosting to melt) and serve! Here’s something to treat you with an easy recipe on a budget. Finally, decorate as you see fit.
Tips and variations of the chocolate and avocado cake recipe
The success of this easy, low-budget recipe is down to the quality of your avocados. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the pleasure of picking a ripe avocado from a tree. I have had good experiences trying to ripen an avocado quickly. But they tend to go from hard to brown. When buying avocados, just make sure they are ripe and soft. The creamier your avocados, the better your cake will be! The batter will be smoother if you use a food processor or high speed mixer. If you don’t have either, attaching an immersion blender should also give the same result. In this case, mix the avocado and the wet ingredients in two batches, then mix the rest of the dough in a bowl with your electric mixer. If you only have a regular electric blender, I would use a large container and mash the avocados before blending. You will have to be patient. Keep mixing and mixing until there are absolutely no lumps.
Sugar Free, Keto, Gluten Free and an Option, Paleo
I think you’ll get the best result using a powdered sweetener, but a granulated sweetener should also work, since there’s a lot of mixing going on. Erythritol, Xylitol or Swerve all work. If you’re looking for a paleo cake, just replace the sweetener with coconut sugar. Prefer coconut flour to almond flour? You can make this cake using 1 cup low carb flours. Coconut flour absorbs more liquid, which is why you need less of it. I used a small springform pan, but if you have a regular sized springform pan, your cake will be flatter, but still taste great.