Triple Chocolate Easter Cake

Keeping Easter 'healthy', or at least 'healthier', can be tricky. Everywhere you go there's piles of shiny easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and other diabetic coma inducing treats. This year was no different... but I did manage to keep it relatively chocolate free!

As my 2 sons are still little (and because we don't eat chocolate or lollies normally) there was no expectation that they would get chocolate for Easter. Instead they got a toy, juice boxes, bananas and an Easter Egg Cookie.

The Easter Egg Cookie was a play on the Easter Egg Pizza from Sugar Hero. I baked a cookie in the shape of an Easter egg, covered it with frosting and then piped on stripes with Strawberry Whipped Cream and decorated it with raspberries and blueberries. They looked like giant Easter eggs, tasted like chocolate and didn't cause a my civilized children to become crazy hyperactive nutbags!

Special days, like Easter, need special cakes! This cake, the Triple Chocolate Easter Cake, is definitely an Easter treat. It was inspired by the Bake the Cover competition in the Australian Taste Magazine, but that's where the similarities end!

This ingredients for this cake are weird! I'll be the first to admit that cauliflower and avocado in a cake seems too strange to work; but it just does! The cauliflower is steamed and then puréed in a soft mash before it is added to the cake so there are no clumps in the moist mud cake. The avocado can be found in the frosting, only you'd never know it when eating it. It's the perfect way to be even the pickiest eaters to have their fruit and veggies.

The maple decorations and chocolate eggs make it a festive Easter Cake but are not necessary; but they do make it pretty!

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE EASTER CAKE (with hidden fruit and veg)
Serves 16
Inspired by Taste.com.au

CHOCOLATE MUD CAKE (yep, its got Cauliflower in it!)
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Dates
1/4 cup Boiling Water
Dash of Bicarb
3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
270 grams steamed Cauliflower, measured after steaming(to steam Cauliflower, cut into pieces and place in a steamer. Cook for 13-15 minutes. You could also boil the cauliflower but would need to ensure it was dried completely)
3 eggs
1/2 cup Coconut Flour
1/3 cup Cocoa
2/3 cup Almond Meal
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Bicarb Soda
4 Tablespoons Milk (of choice)

Chocolate Cream (see recipe below)
Chocolate Frosting (see recipe below)
Maple Shards and Crystals (see recipe below)
Easter Eggs (see recipe below)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 175C/350F.
Grease and line a 20cm/8inch round cake tin.
Place the dates in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water and add the bicarb. Allow to sit and soften for at least 30 minutes.
Add the date mixture and the maple syrup to a blender and mix until a purée forms.
Place the eggs into the bowl of a kitchen stand mixer and beat on high until fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Add the purée mix and continue to beat on medium. Add the vanilla extract.
Add the steamed cauliflower with 1 tablespoon of milk to the blender and pulse (alternatively do this with a masher or fork). A smooth purée will ensure there are n unwanted chunks on your cake.
Add the cauliflower to the mixing bowl and beat on medium until well combined.
In a separate bowl sift the dry ingredients together.
Fold the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl, being careful not to over mix.
Add the remaining milk and stir through gently.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing it into 2 layers.
Place 1 layer of cake on a serving tray and cover with the chocolate cream.
Place the top layer of the cake on top.
Place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes. This stops the frosting mixing with the cream.
Remove the cake from the freezer. Cover the cake completely with the chocolate frosting.
Place 3 Easter eggs (or more!) on top the cake.
Decorate with the maple shards and sprinkle with the maple crystals.
Refrigerate the cake when not eating.


CHOCOLATE CREAM
INGREDIENTS
1 can Coconut Cream (400ml Can), can opened and left in the fridge overnight
2 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 1/2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

INSTRUCTIONS
Remove the can of coconut cream from the fridge and spoon out the thickened cream from the top of the can into a kitchen stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a hand blender). This should measure approximately 1 1/2 cups of unwhipped cream.
Discard the watery remains from the can.
Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and whip until thick (allow between 5-10 minutes).
Shift the cocoa over the cream and whip until incorporated.
Store the cream in the fridge.
The cream will thicken in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING
INSTRUCTIONS
1 1/2 large ripe Avocado (or 3 small ones)
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Cocoa, unsweetened
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons Whipped coconut cream (or normal coconut cream)

INSTRUCTIONS
Remove the pip from the Avocado and spoon the pulp into a blender.
Add the vanilla, cocoa and maple syrup and blend until thoroughly mixed.
Stop and scrape down sides regularly to ensure that the avocado is broken up and blended in.
Depending on how much Avocado you used
Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. (or add to blender if not using a mixer)
Add the whipped coconut cream and whisk until fluffy (2-3 minutes).
Store in the fridge until ready to use.

MAPLE CRYSTALS and SHARDS
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup

INSTRUCTIONS
SHARDS
Place a sheet of baking paper on a try or plate.
Pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup into a saucepan and warm until boiling.
Immediately pour onto the baking paper and spread evenly using a spatula or knife.
Allow to cool completely.
Once cool, break into pieces and use as decorations.

MAPLE CRYSTALS
Pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup into a saucepan and warm until boiling.
Allow the syrup to boil for 1 minute then remove from the heat.
As the saucepan and syrup cools crystals will form.
Once cooled, scrape the crystals from the bottom of the saucepan and use to decorate.

EASTER EGGS
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder, unsweetened
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

INSTRUCTIONS
Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over a very low heat.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and stir/whisk until combined.
Lightly grease Easter Egg Moulds (I used silicon moulds but plastic would work also) and evenly pour the Chocolate into the shapes.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before adding in any extras (I added small dobs of frosting, maple crystals and nuts).
Place in the freezer until set (allow at least 1hour).
To join the Easter Egg halves together, place a baking tray in the warm oven for 1 min.
Remove the eggs from the moulds and place the them, 2 at a time, smooth side down onto the warmed tray for a brief second. This should be long enough to melt the chocolate a bit to be able to join the 2 halves together. Press the halves together and place back in the moulds and freeze until set.