Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce {for Two}

Here we are still in the month of January and I’m already posting a Valentine’s Day-inspired recipe. This is an impressive feat for me, especially considering that the vast majority of my time is spent chasing after and playing with our ever increasingly adorable little toddler.

This cake is chocolaty, rich, fudgy, dense, and decadent, but calls for neither butter nor oil. Avocado & banana take the place of added fat, and after allowing the baked cake to chill in the fridge for a full 24 hours, neither flavor is detectable.

A simple raspberry sauce completes the cake, and makes for a gorgeous Valentine’s Day dessert presentation.

I had to show you the inside of the cake because you need a glimpse of what the consistency is like. Think chocolate truffles. Think the most outrageously fudgy brownies you’ve every had. Add those two together. And you get this cake.

Simply divine!

This is the perfect way to end a romantic dinner for two… leisurely enjoyed alongside a couple glasses of champagne beside a roaring fire perhaps? Or quickly inhaled while you keep an eye on a nearly-running, curious, and vivacious almost 13 month old ;).

Whatever your life is like at the moment, this cake needs to be in it.

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate raspberries cake

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 1/2 cup good-quality dark chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp ripe avocado flesh, passed through a fine-mesh sieve to remove lumps
• 1/4 cup ripe banana puree, passed through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps
• 2 Tbsp unrefined cane sugar
• 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp instant espresso powder
• 2 egg yolks

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Lightly butter a circular 4 inch cake pan. Cut out a circle of parchment paper to fit the pan and place it in the bottom. Lightly butter the parchment paper.

Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat until melted, stirring after each 30 second interval, for about 1 1/2 minutes total. Stir until fully melted.

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor. Process until smooth. Batter will be very thick and sticky.

Scrape batter out into prepared pan. Spread evenly and smooth the top. If you’re having difficulty with this step, slightly dampen your finger with water to smooth the top.

Bake until cake is slightly risen and just firm in the center, about 20-25 minutes.

Let cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours (cake will deflate as it cools). This step allows the chocolate flavor to intensify while the banana flavor mellows out.

Invert cake pan to remove cake (it should come out easily). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature (a few hours).

Raspberry Sauce:

1/2 cup frozen raspberries, preferably organic, thawed

1 tsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp water

Combine thawed raspberries, maple syrup, and water in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook until bubbling and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Bring to room temperature before spooning over cake.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• Calories: 450
• Total Fat: 28g
  • Saturated Fat: 17g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 120mg
• Sodium: 50mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 45g
  • Dietary Fiber: 6g
  • Sugars: 34g
• Protein: 6g

Please note that these nutrition facts are approximate and may vary depending on the specific brands and quantities of ingredients used.