This black bean mocha mousse cake is light, luscious and packed full of nutritiousness goodness
Don’t be put off by the ingredients in this lusciously creamy cake. Yes, there is a whole tin of black beans in the filling, but it doesn’t affect the flavour. Instead, it adds body to the cake (as well as making it more nutritious than a standard mousse cake).
Serve it frozen, like an ice-cream cake, or thawed, as a mousse cake, with fresh cherries, toasted hazelnuts and a dark chocolate drizzle on top.
Ingredients
For the base:
• 150g hazelnuts, toasted
• 10 large soft dates, pitted
• 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
• A pinch sea salt
For the filling:
• 80ml plant-based milk of choice
• 100g good-quality dark chocolate, (70 per cent cocoa solids)
• 1 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed, see recipe note
• 5 large soft dates, pitted
• 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons espresso, (2 shots)
For the topping:
• 50g good-quality dark chocolate, melted, (70 per cent cocoa solids)
• 75g hazelnuts, toasted
• 4 tablespoons roasted coffee beans
To serve:
• fresh cherries or berries of choice
Method
1 Grease a 20 cm springform cake tin and line it with parchment paper.
2 Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the rest of the base ingredients to the food processor and blend until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and holds together when pinched.
3 Transfer to the tin and, using the palm of your hand or the back of a spoon, press the mixture down firmly to create an even and compact base. Transfer to the freezer.
4 To prepare the filling, heat the milk in a small stainless-steel mixing bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Break the chocolate up and add it to the milk.
5 Stir until the chocolate has nearly melted, then remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Set aside.
6 Place the beans, dates, oil and coffee in the food processor and blend on a high speed until completely smooth. Add the melted chocolate and blend again on a high speed until silky smooth.
7 Remove the tin from the freezer and pour the filling over the base. Tap the tin lightly on the bench to smooth out the surface. Return to the freezer to set for at least 4 hours (or overnight) until completely firm.
Once set, remove from the freezer and from the cake tin and drizzle with the chocolate.
8 Roughly chop the hazelnuts and scatter on top along with the coffee beans. Leave to thaw for about 30 minutes then cut the cake with a sharp knife dipped in hot water.
9 Serve with fresh cherries or berries.
10 Store the cake slices in the freezer in an airtight container and they will keep for a few months (even though you know they won’t!). Just remember to thaw them before serving.
Recipe courtesy of David Frenkiel, extracted from Green Kitchen At Home
