No-Bake Double Chocolate Torte

       Updating a favourite! Brought this delicious Chocolate Avocado Torte to a dinner party this past weekend and it was a huge success. I don't know how a chocolate torte could get bad reviews, but this one sure didn't fall short. The inspiration for this recipe came from "oh she glows' Chilled Double Chocolate Torte: The No-Bake Version" by Angela Liddon which I originally made in 2013 (oh how the time flies!). This torte is an excellent chocolate summer treat, and because it is no-bake, you don't need to brake a sweat making a delicious dessert.

Serves: 8-12
Time: 40 minutes + 2 hours (inactive)

Ingredients

No-Bake Crust

• 2 cups pecans or walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil (can also use vegan margarine, though the crust will be a bit crumbly)
• 1/8 tsp salt

Chocolate Avocado Mousse 

• 3 medium avocados, pitted and flesh scooped out
• 1/3 cup soy milk or dairy-free equivalent
• 1/2 maple syrup or honey
• 1 tbsp almond butter or smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp cornstarch 
• 1/8 tsp salt, scant
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup of melted chocolate chips, semi-sweet

Preparation

Crust:

1. Oil a 7-10 inch spring form pan, or use wax or parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, pulse pecans or walnuts with other crust ingredients until thick and crumbly or cakey (a few larger nuts never hurt anyone).
3. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the spring form pan, and put in the freezer while making the mousse.

Mousse:

1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring frequently.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, purée all other mousse ingredients until smooth.
3. Stir in melted chocolate chips and pulse until smooth and well combined.
4. Remove the crust from the freezer and scoop the mousse on top. Smooth out with a smatula and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving chilled.
5. To serve, let defrost for 5-10 minutes before cutting the torte, then replace the remaining torte in the freezer to not over soften the mousse.