Chocolate cake bites with avocado, greek yogurt and flax seeds

Make every day Valentine’s day! Treat your significant other to these delicious cake bites, cooked with some extra ingredients to provide more fiber and more of the good oils thanks to the avocado, plus the greek yogurt gives you a super moist cake.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of semisweet confectioner’s chocolate
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of flax seed
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 small size avocado, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of milk (can substitute for soy or almond milk)
• 1/2 cup of butter, melted and cooled (can substitute for olive or coconut oil)
• 4 tablespoons of plain greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

Decoration:

• Confectioner’s sugar
• Melted chocolate
• Cherries
• Fresh fruit: strawberries or raspberries

Preparation:

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients (flour, flax seed, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda).

Melting chocolate takes a little time and patience to avoid burning it and changing the flavour. There are different ways that you can achieve the perfect melt depending on how much time you have available and with what cooking gadgets you can count on. Below are two simple methods that take the less time.

Bain-marie a.k.a. “water bath” or “double boiler”: break the semisweet confectioner’s chocolate in small chunks, put them in a bowl (preferable made out of glass or stainless steel) with 2 tablespoons of milk. Fill a pan with water (about 1/2), and bring the water to boil. Low the heat down and put the glass bowl inside. The steam rising from the water will melt the chocolate down. Remove some of the water, if needed, ensure that the water does not come in contact with the chocolate. Stir ocasionally using a silicone or wooden spatula until the chocolate is fully melted. Remove from the heat.

Micowave: break the semisweet confectioner’s chocolate in small chunks, put them in a glass bowl with 1 tablespoons of milk, heat for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave, the chocolate will not be entirely melted. Add another tablespoon of milk, mix carefully and put the bowl back in the microwave, heat for another 30 seconds. Repeat the process if needed until the chocolate is perfectly melted.

Using a hand mixer, add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. Incorporate one by one, and mix well in between them: chocolate, mashed avocado, eggs, milk, butter, yogurt and vanilla extract.

Mix until smooth and you don’t see any lumps. If the batter fields dry or heavy add more milk and yougurt.

Preheat your oven at 350°F (175°C).

Grease and flour a rectangular shallow baking pan.

Bake for 45 minutes. Take out of the oven and test. I prefer inserting a sharp knife in the middle of the cake, instead of a small tootpick, to ensure it touches the bottom. If the knife comes clean then it’s ready. Let it cool.

If the cake requires more time, leave for intervals of 10 more minutes and test again each time.

Once the cake has cooled off, cut in cubes. Serve sprinkling with confectionary sugar on top, add melted chocoalte and your favourite fruits.

Enjoy!