This cake is my ultimate chocolate dream! It’s decadent, rich, utterly indulgent and yet so healthy and even has vegetables in it! 😉 The beetroot adds an extra depth of flavour and surprisingly it goes so well with the cocoa powder. The avocado frosting is definitely the real surprise here, all the people that have tried it just couldn’t believe it the main ingredient is avocado! It’s silky, smooth and creamy and it still has that richness that you would expect from regular frosting without being sickly sweet.

To add an extra summer note I love to top the cake with fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries which adds a lovely burst of freshness.

This recipe is in Collaboration with Waitrose to celebrate 25 years of their Duchy Organic range. You can find out more about it here: http://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/inspiration/about_waitrose/the_waitrose_way/waitrose_organic.html

Ingredients:

170 gr of Duchy Jumbo oats

60gr of unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao

125gr cup of unrefined demerara sugar

110gr beetroot pure – I have used Duchy Organic Beetroot

60ml of melted coconut oil

175ml of almond milk

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon of sea salt

For the avocado frosting:

2 very ripe avocados

60gr cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

Between 120-150 ml of Duchy Organic maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)

A splash of vanilla extract

About 150 gr of mixed fresh berries to decorate – I have used a mix of Duchy strawberries, blueberries and raspberries

Start by making the oat flour: simply blend the jumbo oats oats into a blender until they reach a flour consistency.

To make the beetroot pure: peel and chop 1 small beetroot and steam it or boil it for about 30 minutes until very soft. Drain it and let it cool down. Place it in a blender with a splash of the cooking water until you have a smooth puree. You might have some extra left which is great to use in smoothies.

Start by preheating the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.

In a bowl mix together the oat flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl combine the melted  coconut oil , almond milk and apple cider vinegar, whisk everything well together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well together.

With some coconut oil grease the cake tin.

Pour the cake batter into the tin and level it out with a spatula. Bake the cake in the oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down completely before take it of the tin.

To make the avocado frosting: simply place the flesh of the 2 avocados, cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla extract into a food processor and blitz until you have a smooth and creamy mixture. Make sure to scrape the side of the food processor and blitz again to avoid any avocado lumps in the frosting.

Once the cake has completely cooled down with a spatula spread the frosting on top and on the sides. Top it with mix fresh berries, slices it and enjoy!