Chocolate Baking Dessert

Banana, avocado and cacao cake

Name: Banana, avocado and cacao cake recipe
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 55g chia seeds; 150g almond meal; 50g cacao powder; 1 tsp bicarb soda; 1 large ripe avocado, mashed; 1 large ripe banana, mashed; 5 large eggs, at room temperature; 285g honey; Double cream, to serve; Raspberries, to serve; 1 large ripe banana (reserve skin for caramel); 1 large ripe avocado; 25g cacao powder; 20.00 ml coconut oil; 2 tsp brown sugar; 1 ripe banana, skin and flesh reserved; 220g caster sugar; 90ml coconut cream or thickened cream; 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

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by Cameron Matthews

Sep 11, 2024

"How many times have you looked in the fridge and seen brown avocados and bananas? They are perfect for this recipe – delicious, viable, costly foods that maybe just don’t look so good." - Cameron Matthews

Recipe note: You’ll need a 20cm x 11.5cm loaf pan

1/3 cup (55g) black and white chia seeds
1 1/2 cups (150g) almond meal
1/2 cup (50g) cacao powder, plus extra, to dust
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 large ripe avocado, mashed
1 large ripe banana, mashed
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (285g) runny honey
Double cream, to serve
Raspberries, to serve

Avocado, banana and cacao mousse

1 large ripe banana (reserve skin for caramel)
1 large ripe avocado
1/4 cup (25g) cacao powder
1 tbs coconut oil
2 tsp brown sugar

Banana skin caramel

1 ripe banana, skin and flesh reserved
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
90ml coconut cream or thickened cream
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 20cm x 11.5cm loaf pan and line with baking paper, extending paper 2cm along both long sides.
2.

Soak chia seeds in 1 cup (250ml) water for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. The seeds will absorb all the water and swell to form a gel.
3.

Place almond meal, cacao, bicarb and a pinch of fine salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Place the avocado, banana, eggs and honey in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients, along with the soaked chia seeds. Whisk for 1 minute until combined and smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and level top with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Stand cake in pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Dust with cacao when cool.
4.

Meanwhile, for the mousse, combine all ingredients in a food processor and whiz until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl several times. Transfer to a container and chill until ready to serve (see note).
5.

For the caramel, place the 2 banana skins (reserved from mousse and caramel) in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a blender. Add the peeled banana and whiz until smooth and creamy.
6.

Combine sugar and 1/2 cup (125ml) water in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until light golden brown. Stir in the banana puree until well combined. Stir in the cream and vanilla, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Pour into a jar or container and store in the fridge (see note).
7.

Slice the loaf and serve topped with caramel sauce and lashings of avocado, banana and cacao mousse. Finish with double cream and fresh raspberries.

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Recipe Notes

The mousse and the caramel will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. The top layer of each tends to get darker over time, but you just need to stir well before using.