Chocolate Mint Cream Layer Cake

This delicious Chocolate Mint Cream Layer Cake is raw, and makes an awesome dessert or treat for St. Patrick’s Day or any other time of year, especially birthdays. I must thank our friends over at PurelyTwins.com for the inspiration.  I’ve modified this recipe slightly to eliminate any refined sugars or syrups — I’ve used only date paste and stevia and it came out amazing.  It’s perfect for the Maximized Living core plan — dates are still pretty high in sugar so this dessert certainly is sweet.  Adjust accordingly to your suit your taste buds. Keep leftover slices in refrigerator – they will last about 2-3 days.

Chocolate Mint Cream Layer Cake Recipe

Makes once 6-inch cake

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 2 2/3 cups walnut halves
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds (or flax meal)
• 2 tablespoons date paste*
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered stevia

Mint Avocado Cream

• 2 avocados, about 1 1/2 cups pureed
• 4 ounces cashews (about ¾ cup)
• 1 teaspoon liquid stevia
• 3 tablespoons date paste*
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon mint extract
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon spirulina (optional, helps with green color)

Directions

* To make date paste

1. Pack enough dates to fill a ¼ cup measuring cup.
2. Empty dates into a medium-sized bowl and pour enough boiling water to just cover the dates (about 2 tablespoons).
3. Allow dates to soften and water to soak in (about 15-20 minutes) and then blend dates with a hand blender until smooth.

To make chocolate cake

1. Place walnuts in food processor and pulse till a crumbly texture.
2. Then add in remaining ingredients. This recipe is on the less sweet side, so adjust sweetness to taste.

Note: Chia seeds make the cake a little crunchy so if you don’t like a crunchy cake use flax meal or ground chia seeds.

To make avocado cream

1. Place cashews, date paste and a bit of water (maybe a tablespoon) in a medium-sized bowl and blend with a hand blender until smooth.
2. Next add in the pureed avocados, stevia, mint extract, and spirulina (if using).
3. Blend till smooth.
4. Add coconut oil and blend.
5. Adjust sweetness to taste. And depending how much stevia you add, you may need to increase coconut oil to 2 tbsp. The purpose of the coconut oil is to help the cream harden so when you slice the cake it keeps its shape.

Assemble cake:

1. Line a 6-inch pan with wax/parchment paper.
2. Press about 1 cup of moderately packed chocolate cake batter onto the bottom of the pan.
3. Next top with 1 cup of mint avocado cream.
4. Put first two layers in the freezer for about 2 hours to set.
5. Repeat cake and cream layers.
6. Place final cake in freezer for a few hours (about 4-6 hours) to set.
7. When ready to slice let cake thaw slightly (15 minutes or so) to make it easier to cut.

Recipe inspired by PurelyTwins.com.