Experimental Healthy Baking - Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse

Usually I like eating healthy food…but I tend to sway away from making healthy cakes/bakes, as I find that 90% of the time they don’t taste good as the full-fat version. However, healthy puddings are a growing food trend, and the use of avocado in desserts has soared.

So, I thought I’d give avocados a whirl, and found many different recipes online showing dairy-free chocolate mousses with avocados being the star ingredient. The advantage of it is that is completely vegan friendly, and only takes about 2 minutes to make…

I already had  an avocado in my house, but not the natural sweeteners suggested by many recipes. After rooting through my cupboards I decided to try using golden syrup and vanilla extract instead.

Result: A few spoonfuls of the mousse was actually really pleasant. The texture is great and there is a chocolate-hit, which vegans/lactose-intolerant sufferers may appreciate.

HOWEVER, at least for me, there was a smell of avocado in my kitchen and the more of the mousse I ate, the more the avocado taste came out (so in a way, it's even healthier as you only eat a small amount of it?)

So, my suggestion would be to experiment with the recipe. If you taste the mixture and it is not chocolate-y enough, add another teaspoon of cocoa powder with a teaspoon of water (or milk if you’re not vegan). If it's not sweet enough, add a dash more golden syrup.

This mousse definitely tastes healthier than the standard one, although my use of golden syrup is probably sinful in many eyes. To make this even more natural, try using honey, maple syrup or another sweetener such as agave syrup.

This recipe makes 1 small glass (it's a good idea to start small in case you don’t approve of the avocado/only have a small food processor).

Ingredients

•        1 ripe avocado
•        45g golden syrup
•     20g cocoa powder
•       1 tbsp water
•       1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

Method

1. Scoop the flesh out of the avocado and place in a food processor with the rest of the  ingredients.
2. Process for about a minute, until smooth. Taste. If you find the mousse too avocado-y, add more cocoa and water, and adjust for sweetness with golden syrup.
3. Spoon into a glass.
4. Done!

Let me know if you want to be adventurous and try out this recipe. If you try a variation and find you get a tastier result, comment on the post to share the info.

Like this healthy recipe? Then you may enjoy my Maple Syrup and Banana Breakfast Cupcakes :D