Chocolate Avocado Cake
Are you looking for a sweet treat without all the guilt? This Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake might just fit the bill. I used avocados to create a rich, velvety chocolate cake. I think you’re gonna love it.
If you’re into vegan cake as much as I am, you should think about making my Vegan Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting. Oh, and don’t forget my Vegan Coconut Cake. It’s a dreamy, delicious cake!
I remember the first time I saw someone use avocado in a cake. I’m glad there wasn’t a camera pointed at me because I’m pretty sure the expression on my face wasn’t pleasant. I’m not one to hide my feelings on my sleeve, particularly when it comes to food.
But then I finally tried a cake with avocado in it, and it wasn’t too bad. In fact, it was pretty good. I decided to make my own cake with avocado. My first one was this Lemon Avocado Cake (see link below the recipe). That was pretty darn good.
So I figured a Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake had to be the next, natural step in my avocado-loving progression.
Benefits of Avocado in a Cake
I think we’re all paying a little more attention to the food we eat these days, particularly when it comes to fats. I know it can be confusing, understanding nutrition and its role in our health, but one thing we can say for sure, getting healthy fats from plant-based sources is a good idea. And that’s where the avocado comes in.
I once read that eating an avocado is better than taking a vitamin. Let’s talk about the nutrition of Avocados:
- Vitamin K
- Folate
- Potassium
- Vitamin E
- Monounsaturated Fats.
So how exciting an avocado can be? Don’t even get me started on dark chocolate. 🙂
This vegan chocolate avocado cake is moist, rich, and a perfect indulgence any day of the week.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake with Chocolate Frosting
It’s fun to make this moist and yummy Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake with Chocolate Frosting! Just heat your oven to 350°F. Spray two round cake pans with vegetable spray.
Pour the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
In a food processor combine the vegetable oil, mashed avocado, water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Pulse until smooth.
Add avocado mixture to flour mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
When done, remove the cakes from the oven. Allow to cool about 10 minutes, and then invert each cake on a plate or wire rack to cool completely.
In the meantime, make the frosting placing the chocolate chips in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Pour about 1/4 cup plant-based milk over the chocolate chips and stir to combine. Microwave for one minute. Place a plate over the top of the bowl to cover and set aside for a minute. The chips should be melted. If not, heat for another 30 seconds until melted.
Once the chocolate chips are melted, add the powdered sugar and stir to combine. Add additional plant-based milk until you achieve a nice, spreadable consistency.
Once the cakes are cooled, spread half of the frosting on the top side of one of the cakes. Place the second cake on top of the bottom, frosted cake. Then add the remaining frosting to the top cake and spread evenly across the top.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changing
I happen to love this vegan chocolate avocado cake exactly the way it is, but that doesn’t mean you have to. In fact, I encourage you to think, no dream, about the ways you might want to change this recipe. Make it your own. Take it for a spin. If you need some ideas to get the ol’ ball rolling, well, here are some ideas I have for changing up this recipe:
- If you’re into it, add a teaspoon or so of cinnamon. The good news is it will add a little spice and cinnamon plays a role in keeping blood sugar from spiking
- I could see adding a tablespoon or two of peanut butter powder
- How about shaving some dark chocolate over the top? It would look so dramatic!
- Play around with the sugar quantities to find the perfect level of sweetness for you
- Try coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar for a healthier twist
- To make this gluten-free, simply use gluten-free baking flour
Go ahead, run with these ideas, or come up with others to make this Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake something completely unique!
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Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake
Ingredients
Avocado Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup avocado (ripe)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Avocado Frosting
- 2 medium avocados (ripe avocados)
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
Instructions
For the Avocado Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray two round cake pans with vegetable spray.
- Pour the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Peel the avocado and remove the pit. Roughly chop it into large chunks and add it to a food processor along with the vegetable oil, water, vinegar, and vanilla. Pulse until smooth.
- Add the chocolate avocado mixture to the flour mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
- When done, remove the cakes from the oven. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes, and then invert each cake on a plate or wire rack to cool completely.
For the Chocolate Avocado Frosting:
- Peel the avocados and remove the pits. Chop them roughly into large chunks and add them to the food processor along with the cocoa powder and maple syrup.
- Pulse until smooth, stopping to wipe down the bowl as needed. Taste a bit of the frosting and add a tablespoon or two additional syrup if necessary.
- Once the cakes are cooled, spread half of the frosting on the top side of one of the cakes. Place the second cake on top of the bottom, frosted cake. Then add the remaining frosting to the top cake and spread evenly across the top.
(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
If you’re into vegetarian or vegan avocado dessert recipes, check these recipes out:
- Vegan Chocolate Avocado Pudding Pie by Ambitious Kitchen
- No-Bake Chocolate Avocado Pudding by Jessica in the Kitchen
- Avocado Mint Fudge Bars by iFood Real
- Or what about this Vegan Avocado Lemon Blueberry Cake by yours truly? Mmmm!
Whatever vegan dessert you’re dining on, enjoy!
Never would have thought of this combination! I’m sure it’s delicious though.
Hi! I tried the recipe today and I wonder if I overmixed the batter or put too much oil, but it turned out raw on the inside. So it needed more than 40min in the oven (180 C). Also, I wonder if 2 tsp baking powder is enough for all that batter (~800ml flour). I’ll try again, nevertheless. 🙂
Hi Linda. Thanks for your comment. I find ovens can vary in temperature, so I would recommend baking it a little longer until you can insert a toothpick or piece of spaghetti in the middle and it comes out clean. I’ve made this cake several times and have seen a nice loft from the baking powder, and also the gluten in this recipe serves as a great binder. Hope this is helpful!