It’s the holiday season and we are firm believers in the 80/20 Rule, so YES we are celebrating National Cocoa Day! As always, we are celebrating with better-for-you options (see below). So go ahead and treat yourself to some chocolate today. After all, taste isn’t the only thing chocolate is rich in – it’s also rich in antioxidants. Happy holidays!

5 Guilt-Free Chocolate Treats:

NibMor Traditional Drinking Chocolate | Gluten-Free + Vegan

Hail Merry Chocolate Raw Almond Butter Tarts | Gluten-Free, Vegan + Raw

Coco-roons Brownie | Gluten-Free + Vegan

Sweet Loren’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies | Gluten-Free + Vegan

Hope Hummus Organic Dark Chocolate Hummus | Gluten-Free, Vegan + Raw

Now that your stocked up with on-the-go treats, try this delectable Raw Black Forest Cake Recipe.

Raw Black Forest Cake

recipe created by Ramified

This is the perfect vegan and gluten-free treat for chocolate and cake lovers a like. Don’t worry about turning on the oven for this no-bake delicious treat!

Ingredients:

3 cups walnuts and/or almonds
2 cups dates
6 tbsp cacao powder
1 recipe raw whipped cream, made with 1 tbsp of lime juice and 3 tbsp water for liquid, and half the amount of coconut oil
3 cups whole cherries
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions:

Before you start, you’re going to want to find a small bowl that will be the mold for your cake. Line this bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside.
In your food processor, grind nuts and cacao powder together until a crumb like consistency is reached. Add in dates, and process into a dough. Take about half of this dough, and press it into the bottom and sides of your bowl mold – then set this and the remaining dough in the fridge for later. Prepare the whipped cream, and pit the cherries before placing them both in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.
While your cake ingredients are chilling, you can make the frosting by combining cashews, coconut oil, water, honey, vanilla, and a pinch of salt in a high speed blender until smooth. Put your frosting in the fridge with everything else to harden up.

After all of your ingredients are chilled, it’s time to assemble the cake. Start by scooping a layer of whipped cream into the bottom of the mold, followed by a good sized layer of cherries, and a layer of cake dough. Continue to do this until all your ingredients are used up. The firmer you pack the layers, the less likely your cake will be to fall apart when you cut it. Place in freezer for a couple of hours to set, before flipping upside down and popping the cake out of the mold. This might take a little patience, but you should be able to get it out with some pulling at the plastic wrap and tapping on the bottom of the bowl. Ice your cake with the frosting, and decorate with cherries and raw chocolate shavings. Serve immediately, or keep in fridge until ready to eat. Will feed about 8 to 12 people, depending on the size of your slices.

Need more dessert recipes? Check out our magazine collection. We have delicious, healthy recipes for every season!