This Gooey Chocolate Dessert Balances Your Hormones

This gooey chocolate cake, excerpted from Mia Lundin and Ulrika Davidsson’s The Hormone Balance Cookbook, is the perfect thing for satiating any chocolate cravings you’re having—except it’s completely refined-sugar-free and packed with hormone-balancing ingredients.  The avocado and walnuts are filled with healthy fats that nourish your hormones and keep your blood sugar balanced, avoiding the insulin spike and crash (and the cascade of hormone fluctuations that follows!) of most desserts.  The antioxidant-rich orange peel, vanilla powder, and cacao add additional cell-supporting antioxidants. The best part? It’s super easy to make. 
                                               

Gooey Chocolate Cake

Ingredients, Bottom Layer

2⅓ cups (500 ml) walnuts
1½ cups (350 ml) dried dates, pits removed
1 medium avocado
Pinch of salt flakes
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoon vanilla powder
⅖ cup (100 ml) cocoa

Ingredients, Chocolate Creme

3 avocados
Pinch of salt flakes
⅖ cup (100 ml) cocoa
⅖ cup (100 ml) honey or maple syrup

Method

1. For the bottom layer, chop the walnuts and dates coarsely in a food processor. Add the avocado flesh with the remaining ingredients, and mix to make a smooth paste.
2. Line an 8-inch (20-cm) pie pan with removable edge (or a springform pan) with parchment paper. Pour the bottom layer evenly into the pie pan.
3. Place the avocado flesh and other ingredients for the chocolate crème in a food processor and process to make a smooth cream. Spread this cream over the bottom layer, and let chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. Garnish the cake with pistachios, red and/or black currants, and ground cherries.