Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 30-40 min
Serves: 8-12
Ingredients:
2 cups coconut desiccated
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup psyllium husk
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 heaped tbsp carob
1 small cauliflower
2 small sweet potatoes
2 cups of chopped pumpkin
1/2 cup coconut oil or ghee
6 eggs
1 tbsp coffee
extra cocoa to taste
1/2-1 cup boiling water
Optional sweetener for example, two dates, a banana or a tbsp of honey.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Line two small round cake tins with baking paper. Boil a large pot of water. Peel and chop sweet potato and pumpkin and add to the boiling water. Remove the florets of the cauliflower and add to water after 6 minutes.
In a powerful food processor place 2 cups of desiccated coconut and the psyllium husk. Blend until fine. However don't over do it or the oils in the coconut will be released and it will form into a liquid.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend till combined. (But not too much!) Now remove the mixture of dry ingredients and place aside in a large mixing bowl.
When the pumpkin, sweet potato and cauliflower are soft, drain them and place them in the food processor. Add coconut oil or ghee, eggs and sweetener (if you wish) and blend until very smooth.
Add the wet mixture to the large mixing bowl and combine with a large mixing spoon. It will get thick quickly as the psyllium husk absorbs the fluid.
Boil the kettle. Add coffee and boiling water to a mug. Taste your batter to see if it is chocolaty enough for your taste. If not and a few more tbsp of cocoa to the coffee and water.
Pour coffee and cocoa into batter and combine. Add more water if you feel the batter is far too stiff.
Dollop spoonfuls of the mixture evenly into the lined cake tins and smooth over the tops. Cook in oven for 30-40 minutes or until firm and a knife comes out clean.
Leave to cool completely before icing or cover and refrigerate for the next day.
Icing and Decoration
Prep time: 20-30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 500g bag of dedicated or shredded coconut
1/2-1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup coconut oil or ghee
2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup almond flakes
1 cup pistachios
Method:
Using a powerful food processor, blend one 500g bag of shredded or desiccated coconut until it forms a liquid. You will need to scrap down the sides occasionally to make sure you get it as smooth as possible.
Before adding cocoa, line a flat tray with baking paper. Pour about 1/2 a cup of the white coconut onto the tray. And spread thinly.
Now add 2-3 tbsp of cocoa to the food processor and blend till it combines with the coconut.
Pour around 1/2 a cup of the chocolate coconut mixture onto the tray next to the white and spread thinly. (Doesn't matter if the white and dark chocolate touch)
Sprinkle both the white and dark chocolate with almond flakes and put the tray in the freezer so it sets quickly.
Now peel and pit your avocado's and add them to the food processor. Add the rest of the cocoa and the coconut oil or ghee.
Blend until combined. Don't worry if it looks "crumby" it should smooth out once on the cake.
Wash your hands. Take a fist full of the mixture and spread it evenly over one of the cakes, this will be the filling or the middle layer and will hold the cakes together.
Now sprinkle a handful of crushed pistachios onto the the layer and place the second cake on top.
Now grab a second handful (or two) of the mixture and squish it evenly on the top of the cake. Pat and smooth the icing until it is even an has no cracks. Do the same to the sides all the way down to the plate. Pat and smooth the sides (like a sand castle!) it should look even and smooth.
Remove the chocolate from the freezer once set (it doesn't take long) and simply snap it into shards which can be wedged into the top of the cake like shown in the pictures.
Crush the remaining pistachios and sprinkle them on top of the cake to finish it off.
Tip: You can mix it up by putting fresh raspberries it the middle layer! Make sure you ice the cake on the plate you wish to serve it on as it will be difficult to transfer once decorated.
