Apple pie, pumpkin pie and pecan pie were always musts at my Grandmother's house on Thanksgiving. I always had to have a piece of each, but the pecan was my favorite. A preference I shared with my Mom and Grandmother but the rest of my family didn't seem to care for the pecan. I could never understand it. The combination of caramel and pecans in a pie was pretty delicious. I wanted some pecan pie this year, but...it ended up a little different than that because I love cake as well and chocolate. So what I created ended up being a Raw Chocolate Pecan Pie Mousse Cake.
Pecan pie alone just wouldn't cut it with me because I tend to vary from tradition. I love what resulted though because this cake was freaking delicious! I made it a little different than the typical chocolate mousse base I use for cakes because avocados are super expensive right now. That is what I usually use for chocolate mousse because it is easy, rich and silky. But I decided to use a little lighter and cheaper ingredient, zucchini. Before you go thinking that sounds crazy in a mousse cake, it ended up just as silky when I mixed it with the coconut and you could not tell it was in there.
I put a layer of pecan filling in the middle and on top of the cake and it was amazing with the decadent chocolate mousse. We are talking heavenly cake here. It tastes like something that is really sinful to eat, but hey, it has veggies included so that makes it healthy right?! I think this is even better than pecan pie because you get chocolate mousse included as well. Why reserve it for Thanksgiving though, this would be good any time of the year!
Raw Chocolate Pecan Pie Mousse Cake
Makes one 6 inch cake
3/4 cup dried finely shredded coconut
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped
Filling:
2 cups young coconut meat*
3 cups diced zucchini
1/2 cup raw coconut nectar or your choice of raw liquid sweetener
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract and seeds from half a vanilla bean
2 tsp maple extract
1 1/4 cups
raw coconut butter (warmed to liquid)
3/4 cup raw cacao powder
Filling and Topping:
1 cup soft medjool dates
2 Tbsp raw pecan butter or other raw nut butter
1 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid
filtered water as needed
2 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or your choice liquid raw sweetener
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp Himalayan salt
1 1/2 cups chopped raw pecans, divided
whole raw pecans for topping cake
Lightly coat a 6 inch spring form removable bottom pans with coconut oil. To prepare the crust, process buckwheat, coconut and sea salt in a food processor until it is fine crumbs, then add the dates and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers (if not holding together, add more dates). Firmly press crust into the bottom of the prepared pan, and set aside.
To make the filling, in a food processor combine coconut, zucchini, coconut nectar, sea salt vanilla, maple and blend until smooth and creamy. With the processor running, add the coconut butter, and process for a minute until blended. Remove the filling from the food processor and place in a bowl. Set aside.
For the filling, combine all ingredients but the pecans in a high speed blender and blend until smooth (adding filtered water as needed until it is a desired consistency). Mix in chopped pecans.
To assemble cheesecake, pour half the chocolate filling over the crust, then spread half the pecan caramel mixture over that, then pour the remaining chocolate filling over that. Place in the freezer to set for about 4 hours. Once the cake is set, spread the remaining pecan caramel mixture over the top. Cover the top of the cake with the whole pecans. Store cake in the fridge.
*If you do not have access to young coconut meat, you can substitute 3 cups raw cashews soaked for 4 hours and drained for the coconut and filtered water for the coconut water.
