If you think that plant-based eating doesn’t allow you to indulge in creamy, rich desserts, you couldn’t be more wrong! Check out this new Chocolate Orange Mousse Cake recipe! Let me tell you, there has been a lot of sampling this past week. 🙂
These Chocolate Orange Mousse Cakes are similar to my Scrumptious Mini Cheezecakes, only they contain no nuts and no added oil. They make enjoying dessert a little less sinful, and they are multi-functional! If you prefer a traditional mousse over a frozen mini cake, just serve the mousse chilled in a small dish, instead of frozen!
I have tried numerous different variations to get the best possible consistency. The secret is in the avocado, which makes it smooth and creamy. The chocolate orange flavor comes from cocoa and the zest and freshly squeezed juice of oranges! No weird flavoring or ingredients here… just whole foods!
My first attempts oxidized quickly due to the avocado’s tendency to brown easily… You know how guacamole goes brown when it’s exposed to the air? Well, the same thing was happening to these mousse cakes, making the tops an even darker brown after just a few hours in the freezer. A little added lemon juice seems to have cured that problem.
Why are these little nuggets so great?
These mousse cakes are unique in that they contain no nuts, no gluten and no added oil. It is challenging to find delicious nut and gluten-free desserts to accommodate allergies, so I hope these will be your answer.
Traditionally, cheesecake is made with a base of graham cracker, butter and sugar. Plant-based options usually have a base of nuts and dates which is a much healthier option. This recipe is crustless, but you could absolutely add one if you would like. Quite honestly the chore of blending up the dates in my food processor was frustrating me and I started to wonder if they really needed a crust! It turns out they hold together quite nicely when eaten while still mostly frozen.
I think you will enjoy this one-step dessert that only requires one appliance and about 10 minutes to complete!
These are simple to whip up in your Vitamix or high speed blender and freeze in mini muffin tins. Silicone works best for this as they pop out extremely easily. If you don’t have a silicone muffin tin, just use a regular one lined with parchment paper muffin cups. If you don’t have paper muffin cups, just lightly coat the tin with oil. You could also try a nifty trick of lining the tin with one or two little strips of parchment paper. Once frozen, you can lift both ends of the strip(s) and pull them right up out of the tin! The mousse will freeze up within 3-4 hours, at which time the mousse cakes be eaten, or remain in the freezer for later.
Another great thing about this recipe…
If you don’t have time for the mousse to freeze, you can serve this immediately in little dishes as a traditional chocolate mousse. It looks and tastes great served with coconut whipped cream and orange slices, raspberry, blackberry or other fruit of your choice.
A traditional dessert of this kind, that I loved so much years ago, contains a lot of animal fat, cholesterol and a large amount sugar. I just googled a popular animal based recipe and it contains: sour cream, eggs, butter and cream cheese. Talk about a heart stopper! And to think this used to be my go to dessert for special occasions…
This recipe does have the naturally occuring fat from the avocado and coconut milk, but has zero cholesterol. Also, there is very little added sugar in the natural form of maple syrup.
Why should you make these Chocolate Orange Mousse cakes?
These desserts:
– are much healthier than most
– are ridiculously simple
– are made of whole foods
– can be made in about 10 minutes
– look impressive
– taste delicious
– can be made all different sizes for different appetites
– are no-bake
– will stay in your freezer for days – IF you can stop eating them!!
– can be served frozen in a mini cake form, or chilled as a regular mousse
They are made with healthy ingredients:
Avocados are a great source of nutrients, including:
-folate
-magnesium
-potassium
-Vitamins B2, B6, C, E and K
For more information on the health benefits of avocados check out this post from Food Revolution.org.
Fun avocado tip.. If you need an avocado to ripen quicker, put it in a paper bag with an apple or a banana!
Cocoa: health benefits:
The health benefits of cocoa include; decreased inflammation, improved heart and brain health, blood sugar and weight control and healthy teeth and skin. More info here.
Citrus: lemon and orange
We all know extra vitamin C is a good thing. It helps fight colds and contributes to collagen production which supports the skin, promotes wound healing, and improves skin strength.
You know it’s funny… I was talking to a friend this weekend and she was asking me about my blog. I told her how much I love posting and the satisfying feeling I get from spreading the message of plant-based eating. It’s strange how life is so rich with activities and enjoyable events that even things I enjoy so much get pushed aside.
It’s time to make more time for the things I love most in life! I am blessed to be sharing this evening playing cards with my daughters and helping one make plant-based dog biscuits for her and a friend’s new business; “Nature’s Nibbles”! They are just in the beginning stages of launching. You can follow them on Instagram at Natures.Nibbles! These treats are made with love and only the best ingredients! Please message me or Nature’s Nibbles if you would like to treat your canine friend!
Looking for another dessert recipe that is super easy, gluten free and has a secret ingredient? Look no further! Click here.
Frozen Mousse Cakes: Mousse in a cup:
Ingredients
Instructions