When it comes to citrus, tangerines are one of my FAVORITES! Not only are they easy to peel, but you can almost bet that when you bite into that juicy little fruit, it will be sweet. Oranges can be hit or miss, but a tangerine always gets it right ;)
My furry kitchen helper, Emma, thinks so too.
She didn’t get any, but if given the chance she would tear them open in a heartbeat!
The tricky part to tangerines is using them in a recipe. Originally, I wanted to make some sort of tangerine brûlée. Insert epic fail here. As much as I tried, it wasn’t happening for me. The milk kept curdling…it was just gross. Fortunately, I stumbled upon a better idea. Pair it with chocolate. I learned can’t go wrong with citrus and chocolate. Yum!
Shhhhhhh…this chocolate cake has a secret. It is packed with 2 avocados. Not only do the avocados help keep the cake extremely moist and add great nutrient value, they also eliminate the need for eggs. I personally love eggs and their benefits (see my RED KALE, SAUSAGE AND WHITE CHEDDAR EGG BAKE post for more info), but I always love an alternative for people who are vegan or maybe have an allergy. Everyone should be able to have their cake AND literally eat it too.
Cake cake cake cake cake.
What’s that, you want some cake? I wonder why.
PRODUCE: NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHT – FEBRUARY
This winter I received so many tangerines that I didn’t know what to do with all of them! They are most abundant in winter through early spring and I had LOADS. Tangerines were first cultivated in China and were originally called mandarins. They made their way around Europe after being presented to the city Tangiers, which is where it adopted the new name Tangerine. These cute little orange balls are fantastic because of their little “zipper peel” which makes it easy for the skin to separate from the fruit. The high water to low sugar content ratio compared to oranges is awesome as well. The trick to picking out a great tangerine is to make sure the fruit fills out the skin. Of the many varieties, the ones I received were DANCY tangerines. This was really neat because the dancy variety isn’t always able to be produced annually due to fungus and small crop issues. In addition to the abundant amount of Vitamin C, tangerines also bring Vitamin A and immune boosting flavonoids to the table. They contain a phytochemical called tangeretin, which has been shown to be extremely favorable in fighting cancer.
So go get some cake…and load it up with cancer fighting tangerine slices. Who said sweets weren’t good for you? ;)
Vegan Cacao Avocado Cake with Chocolate Tangerine Glaze
A delicious vegan cake packed with healthy avocado and topped with a decadent tangerine citrus glaze. So moist it practically melts in your mouth!
Ingredients
- Cake
- 1 cup organic white flour preferably Italian
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup raw cacoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 mashed avocados
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 2 tsp bourbon vanilla
- 2 tsp espresso powder
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup Marsala wine
- 1 1/2 cup almond milk
- Glaze
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips I used Food for life
- 1/4 cup tangerine juice 2 tangerines
- Zest of 2 tangerines
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
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Sift flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Puree avocado in a food processor until completely smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, espresso powder, coconut oil, marsala wine and almond milk to avocados and mix well. Slowly add flour mix to avocado mix and blend until incorporated and lumps are removed. Place in greased bundt pan. Bake for 25-30 min or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let cool for 10 min and then turn out onto plate. Cool completely before glazing.
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To make glaze: Place oil and zest in a saucepan. Heat on low until melted then remove from heat. Let sit for at least 10 min and then strain zest out. Place pan back on medium heat and add chocolate chips and juice. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat for a few minutes and then spoon over cooled cake. Top cake with extra tangerine slices and enjoy!
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