Issy
Passion Fruit and Orange Chocolate Cake
Are you already in the mood for festive desserts? It is this time of the year again. Let us welcome it with a fresh and satisfying no-bake chocolate cake with orange and passion fruit.

Orange and passion fruit
Just in time for the start of the holiday baking, here comes a cake that combines some of the sweet flavors of winter. The classical orange and chocolate combination is completed with the sweet-and-sour taste of the passion fruit. This makes the chocolate cake feel special, unique, and fresh. If you have never tried passion fruit in desserts before, you are definitely missing out on its deep flavor, full of citrus character.
This is a chocolate dessert and, as such, is thus greatly indulging. However, the fresh citrus flavor and the melt-in-the-mouth textures of the cake make the cake taste lighter than it may appear. You would be reaching for another piece of cake in no time. So be warned, this dessert can be quite addictive.
Plant-based and no-bake
No animal products are used in the making of this cake since no animal product is essential texture-wise and/or flavor-wise. This cake is an example of using nutritious products to create an interesting and delicious dessert.
There are also not too many ingredients. Most of them are widely available in whole-food stores. You can, of course, replace some of the less essential ingredients with others. For example, if you are not vegan, feel free to substitute maple syrup with honey. Or if do not like the bitterness of the cacao beans, you can leave them out or replace them with chocolate.
The cake does not require baking and it is fast to prepare. You do not even need a blender or a food processor. The final result will surprise you and surpass your expectations, so give this cake a try. Let us now jump to the recipe.

Ingredients:
Crust:
50 g oat flour
50 g hazelnut flour*
2 tsp cacao beans
45 ml maple syrup**
10 g coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
zest of 1/2 orange
Chocolate ganache:
150 g dark chocolate***
150 ml full-fat coconut milk
zest of 1/2 orange
[optional] 1-2 drops of orange essential oil
Jelly:
5 passion fruits
40 ml maple syrup**
1/2 tsp agar-agar

Preparation:
Crust:
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients together and mix well to obtain a sticky dough.
Transfer the mixture to a cake tin and press it down with your fingers to level it up and form the crust.
Refrigerate.
Chocolate ganache:
In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk and the orange zest (and orange essential oil, if using).
Heat the milk on the stove at medium heat.
Break the dark chocolate into small pieces.
Pour the hot milk onto the chocolate pieces and let the mixture sit for 1-2 minutes without stirring so that the heat distributes evenly around the chocolate.
After 1-2 minutes, start stirring vigorously until all the chocolate pieces are melted.
Pour the ganache over the crust.
Refrigerate and let the ganache set before continuing with the next steps.
Jelly:
Extract the juice and meat of all passion fruits and add them to a saucepan.
Add maple syrup and agar-agar.
Transfer to the saucepan to the stove and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
Next, remove it from the heat and leave the mixture cool down at room temperature for about 5 minutes (be careful to not let it jellify).
Finally, pour the jelly mixture over the layer of chocolate ganache and return the cake to the fridge.
You can leave the cake in the fridge overnight to set well. Once they are set, the dessert can be enjoyed straight away.
Do you like this recipe? Please share in the comments below! Check out also these chocolate cakes on the blog:

Tips:
* Can be replaced by any nut flour of choice.
** You can replace the maple syrup with honey.
*** I used chocolate with 78% cacao solids.