Happy World Vegan Day! To celebrate I am posting one of my favorite raw vegan chocolate recipes from my brand new Cookbook the ART OF RAW DESSERTS.
Have you ever had Mexican Chocolate Cake?
These raw, vegan chocolate bars are full of flavors found in Mexican chocolate cake: cinnamon, cayenne and cloves. The base is made from buckwheat and almonds, providing a crunchy texture, and topped with an avocado chocolate mousse. They are delightful once they are cut into bars and enrobed in chocolate! The avocado mousse is a wonderful recipe that can be enjoyed on its own, too.
Avocados are packed full of nutrients and of course, they are delicious! I promise you won’t even taste the avocado in this recipe.
- Folate
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
- Niacin (Vitamin B3)
- Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
- Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
Sprouted and Dehydrated Buckwheat
This recipe uses sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat but you can also just use dry buckwheat groats. To learn how to sprout buckwheat check out my YouTube video here.
Once the buckwheat is sprouted, dehydrate on a liner at 115 F for up to 24 hours until completely dry. Store in the freezer for optimal freshness. Will keep for up to 1 year.
Coconut Milk
You are free to use any store-bought coconut milk for this recipe, not full-fat premium coconut cream but coconut milk. If you want to make your own homemade coconut milk blend 1 cup medium shred coconut with 4 cups filtered water and strain through a nutmilk bag. Add 1 tsp of sunflower lecithin powder to emulsify and store in the fridge. Coconut milk will keep for three days.
It’s that easy!
I hope you enjoy this fun and delicious recipe! If you make it, I would love to see! Please tag me on social media or post a photo in my Facebook Group – Chefs of Crystal Dawn Culinary!
>> Interested in learning how to incorporate more foods into your day?
START HERE with my Raw Food Foundations Masterclass!
If you want to learn more about chocolate, check out this video here:
Mexican Chocolate Mousse Bars
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 8 x 8 square pan
Ingredients
Blond Buckwheat Crunch Base
- 1½ cups 195 g soaked and dehydrated almonds or raw almonds
- ½ cup 65 g sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat or dry buckwheat groats (see post above for link on how to sprout buckwheat)
- ½ cup 65 g oat flour (blended rolled oats)
- ¼ cup 40 g coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp 16 g mesquite powder (organic sweet mesquite, NOT the BBQ flavor)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup 60 ml melted virgin coconut oil
- 2 tbsp 30 g tahini
- 12 drops vanilla extract Medicine Flower brand preferred
Mexican Chocolate Mousse
- 2 cups 300 g peeled, pitted and chopped ripe avocado (about 3 small avocados)
- ¾ cup 72 g cacao powder
- ½ cup 120 ml coconut milk
- ⅔ cup 160 ml coconut nectar
- 8 drops vanilla extract Medicine Flower brand preferred
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp Himalayan salt
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup 60 ml melted virgin coconut oil
Enrobing Dark Chocolate
- 1/2 cup 50 g chopped cacao butter
- 3/4 cup 150 g chopped cacao paste
- 3 tbsp 45 ml coconut nectar or agave or maple syrup if using maple syrup, make sure it's at room temp
- 12 drops vanilla extract Medicine Flower brand preferred
Instructions
Blond Buckwheat Crunch Base
- In a food processor, process the almonds, buckwheat, oat flour, coconut sugar, mesquite powder and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse flour. Add the melted coconut oil, tahini and vanilla, and process again until the batter starts sticking together.
- Line an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with parchment paper and, using your hands, press the blond buckwheat crunch base into the bottom of the pan, creating an even layer. Using the back of a spoon, firmly smooth out the layer and set it aside while you make the Mexican chocolate mousse.
Mexican Chocolate Mousse
- In a food processor, process the avocados, cacao powder, coconut milk, coconut nectar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, cloves and cayenne pepper together until the mixture is smooth. This will take a couple of minutes and you will need to scrape down the sides of the processor. Add the melted coconut oil and process again until the mixture is well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the square pan, on top of the crust, and even out the layer using an offset spatula. Chill the pan in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight, until firm.
Enrobing Dark Chocolate
- In a stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl, combine the cacao butter and cacao paste and melt them down using the bowl over bowl method, being careful not to burn the chocolate. While the bowl is still over the heat, add the coconut nectar and vanilla and stir until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and let the chocolate sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to cool. If you use it while it is still hot, the recipe you’re enrobing will melt. Transfer the chocolate to a small bowl for enrobing. This chocolate will last several months in a sealed container in the fridge. To remelt the chocolate, follow the instructions for the bowl-over-bowl method
- PRO TIP: If your coconut nectar has a thick consistency, it will cause the chocolate to seize. Use pure maple syrup or agave instead. This recipe has a dark chocolate taste, which some people find to be bitter, if you want to decrease the bitterness, flavor balance by adding a little more sweetener or a pinch of salt.
Assembly
- Remove the pan from the freezer and trim the edges with a knife to create a clean line on all four sides. Slice into 2 x 1–inch (5 x 2.5–cm) bars (you can use a ruler to mark each cut with a knife). Make sure to clean your knife in between each slice. Line a cutting board or tray with parchment paper and transfer the bars to the prepared surface. Place them back in the freezer for a few hours to firm up and cool before enrobing.
- Make or melt the enrobing dark chocolate and transfer the melted chocolate to a small bowl. Remove the bars from the freezer and, using a chocolate dipping fork or regular dinner fork, dip a bar into the melted chocolate for a few seconds with the base facing down (the chocolate mousse layer should be facing up). Remove the bar from the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Transfer the enrobed chocolate bar to the lined surface and repeat the process until each bar is enrobed.
- Place the bars back in the fridge for 10 minutes to set before serving. They will store in the fridge for 1 week in a sealed container or in the freezer for up to 1 month. They store better in the fridge, as the freezer will create condensation when thawing.