Chocolate Avocado Cake with Maple Syrup (Almond Flour)

chocolateavocadocake A cake with avocado in it? Yep. This Chocolate Avocado Cake is made with almond flour and uses avocado to add moisture to the batter, along with some healthy fats, but I pinky promise you can't taste it. This cake is rich, fudgy and will leave you wanting to go back for seconds.

Cake:
3½ cups almond flour
⅔ cup coconut sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. sea salt
4 eggs
1 ripe avocado, mashed
1 cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup almond milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting:
½ avocado, mashed
½ cup butter
5 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. coconut oil
2½ cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Line three 6" cake pans with parchment paper and set aside. You can also use two 8" cake pans if you prefer.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Scoop avocado out into a small bowl, then use a fork to mash it really well (mash for at least 30 seconds to remove as many lumps as possible). In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together, then add the syrup, milk and vanilla. Last, add in the avocado.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then use a spatula to fold everything together. There WILL be some avocado lumps, and that's ok. Make sure not to over-stir the batter.

Once everything is combined, pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake cakes for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave cakes in the cake pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife along the edges and carefully invert them onto a cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool before icing.

For the Icing:
Mash the avocado into the bottom of a large bowl. Then, thinly slice the butter and add it to the bowl. Next, melt chocolate and coconut oil together (over the stove or in the microwave) until smooth, then pour the melted chocolate over the butter and avocado and allow it to sit for 3-5 minutes, which should soften the butter. Use a spatula to stir everything together until the butter is smooth (this may take a minute). Don't worry if the butter isn't COMPLETELY melted - it will melt once everything is mixed together. Then, add the confectioners' sugar and use a hand mixer to combine everything. The icing should be thick but still spreadable.

To Assemble:
You do NOT need to slice off the tops (the "dome") of the cakes. Instead, just place a dollop of icing over each layer and spread it a bit, then repeat that step, stacking the cakes as you go. Top the entire cake with extra chopped chocolate and enjoy.

Cook's Notes:

Use a ripe avocado. Finding the perfect avocado can be tricky, so I recommend purchasing 3-4 avocados just in case one of them is under or overripe.
Mash the avocado really well. This might seem like a no-brainer, but the more you mash the avocado, the smoother it'll be, and therefore the less likely there is to be lumps in the batter.
Line the cake pans with parchment paper. This is SO important - do not skip this step. There's nothing worse than putting in the effort to bake a cake only to realize that your cake is stuck to the bottom of the pan. You can often find parchment paper rounds at baking stores, or you can create your own. Simply place your cake pan on top of parchment paper, trace it with a pencil, then cut it out. It only takes a few minutes and it makes a huge difference.
What size cake pans should I use? You have two size options for this cake. You can either make a 6" 3-tier cake like I did, or a 8" 2-tier cake.
How should I store this? You should store this cake in a covered container or on a plate wrapped in foil at room temperature for up to 24 hours. After that, place it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Note: the texture of the icing will change when it's refrigerated, so you may want to let it come to room temperature before serving.

Variations:

1 avocado = ½ cup mashed, ½ avocado = ¼ cup mashed (approximately).
Can sub your favourite dairy free milk and/or use vegan butter in the icing if you prefer
Do NOT substitute the flour; all gluten free flours act very differently in baking, and I've only made/tested this recipe using almond flour - if you substitute a different flour, it probably won't work.
Cake pans: recipe calls for three 6" pans, but you can also use two 8" pans