Don’t we all love chocolate cake? Those beautiful memories from the childhood and the taste of melting chocolate in the mouth… Mmm .. just lovely. However most chocolate cakes are not very healthy and contain huge amount of calories. Thanks to our lovely student Anna Hiltensberg we can share with you a healthy recipe of the delicious chocolate cake that you can truly enjoy without a feeling of guilt or compromise your Ballet Body Sculpture training goals:)

Here are the details:

Vegan Beet Cake with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

(Adapted from food and nutrition magazine, developed by Michaela Ballmann, MS, RD, CLT)

Ingredients Cake (wet ingredients):

1 cup roasted beets, pureed (about 3 to 4 small, .75lb raw)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup canola oil

3⁄4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cake (dry ingredients):

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1⁄2 cup coconut flour

1⁄2 cup unsweetened, natural cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and pitted

1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1⁄3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Clean and scrub beets, trim ends and dry. Wrap in foil and roast for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool. Puree in a food processor or using an immersion blender. Reduce oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans (or one 9-inch springform pan). Add vinegar to milk and stir. Set aside to curdle. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to cream coconut oil and sugar. Add pureed beets, milk and extract. Mix until smooth. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Pour into the greased pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes (up to 30 minutes for a 9-inch cake) or until cake pulls away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. Assemble and top with cacao nibs if desired.

To make frosting:

Add all ingredients to a food processor or bowl with mixer. Process for several minutes, scraping down sides, until completely smooth. Chill in fridge to thicken for 15 minutes or until ready to serve.

Enjoy!xx