Avocados – In the RAW

Few fruits can equal the nutritional  benefits of a fresh avocado – they really should be classified a super food. Containing fibre, folate, niacin, thiamine and  riboflavin in amounts not seen in other commonly eaten fruit, fresh avocados  have more than 25 essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, B, B6, C  and E, as well as copper, magnesium, potassium and zinc.

In addition to this, fresh avocados  contain monounsaturated (good) fats and are one of the richest sources of  glutathione, a powerful antioxidant shown to block thirty different  carcinogens. Another valuable antioxidant present  in fresh avocados is vitamin E, which prevents dangerous cholesterol from being oxidised and deposited on artery walls.

This RAW dairy-free, grain-free dessert cake is based on avocado and is very very rich. I have been skirting the idea of an avocado based “cheese cake” and now I wonder why! If you have never made an avocado-based cake give this one a try. I used Shepard avocadoes in this recipe – but any variety will do. Did you know that Shepards don’t discolour when cut?

You may want to dilute the mix with a cup of whipped cream, (this was the advice of my teenage taste-testers) – but then it would not be dairy-free. Try making it as it is first and then decide. It really is worth the experiment.

For the base

250g pecans or almonds (I used a 50/50 mix)

1/2 teas Himalayan salt, or any other good-quality salt

150g dates

1 teas cacao

1 teas butter (optional)

 

For the filling

160g coconut sugar or rapadura (I used 80g + 80g xylitol + 8 drops stevia)

3 medium ripe avocados

150g virgin coconut oil

1 vanilla pod, seeds only

130g raw cacao powder

2 tabs liqueur (optional – I used rum)

2 egg whites

Pinch of salt

 

The crumb ready to be pressed

Blend the nuts, salt, cacao and dates for 8 seconds on SP 9. Add the butter if the mix is too dry – it should be soft and pressable into a ball. Press 2/3rds of this mixture into the bottom of a 22cm springform tin. Cover and leave to firm up in the fridge until you are ready to pour on the filling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients for the filling

For the filling, mill the sugar, vanilla & salt for 10 seconds, SP 9. Add the egg whites and mix on SP 4 for 6 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and blend everything together until smooth, mixture will be thick. If you are not using liqueur, replace with water or almond milk or cream. Spread onto base.

Sprinkle the remaining nut crumb on the top and smooth out. Set in the freezer for 1 hour, then it should be firm enough to slice. Serve with fresh berries and cream. It keeps in the fridge but remove for 20 minutes before serving.