Light Valentine's Day Cake (No Bake)

Valentine's Day can be really hard when you are trying to stay on track with healthy eating. It is the day of chocolate after all. And if there's one thing that's hard to resist, it's chocolate! So, to keep us all on track, I have created this healthy and light Valentine’s Day cake.

This Skinny Strawberry Chocolate Valentine's Day Icebox Cake is a no bake, heart-shaped cake, made with healthy avocado chocolate mousse and skinny whipped cream. It's also Weight Watchers friendly! If you are looking for light valentine desserts or low-calorie valentine desserts, or a dessert for a special occasion or date night, this one is for you!

I am back on track and really watching what I eat, but chocolate is not something I am willing to give up. I remember the first time I went on Weight Watchers - I was determined to find ways to eat chocolate.

🥘Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients for this healthy valentine's dessert recipe:

• ½ an avocado
• 1 tbsp agave syrup
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp milk
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• pinch of salt
• ⅓ cup evaporated milk *regular, not low-fat
• 2 tbsp icing sugar/powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¾ cup fresh strawberries
• 6 chocolate graham crackers *see variations and substitutions
• dark chocolate shavings (garnish)

Also be aware that the avocado in this no bake healthy Valentine's Day dessert does increase the fat content, as ONE avocado has 29 grams of fat. But the good news is that its good fat and you are getting health benefits in return. 

Avocados are a naturally nutrient-dense food and contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals. Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids.

And the fat in avocado is a good fat that helps you feel full and satiated. When you consume fat, your brain receives a signal to turn off your appetite. Eating fat slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, which helps to keep sugar levels in the blood stable. You can read more about the health benefits of avocado You can read more about the benefits of avocado HERE

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Chocolate Graham Crackers - It appears that Nabisco chocolate graham crackers are discontinued (insert crying face here). You can use Mr. Christie Chocolate wafers (they are 1 WW point for 5) or you can make your own chocolate graham crackers
• Whipped Cream - you could use a sugar-free whipped topping or a light (low-fat) spray whipped topping
• Strawberries - you could use fresh raspberries or blackberries instead
• Dairy-free - you could use dairy-free milk and dairy-free whipped topping

🔢WW Points

Whether or not you are following Weight Watchers (WW), this Valentine's dessert is a light and healthy choice @ 12 WW points for an entire cake. However, if you compare it with a typical piece of chocolate cake at a restaurant or my recent birthday cake (chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream icing), for instance, which comes in at a whopping 28 points, this is substantially fewer points.

Anyway, anyone who follows the WW program already knows that some budgeting of weekly points is going to be required for any type of indulgence, including this decadent dessert.

This is not my first Rodeo. Following a healthy eating program really opens your eyes to how crappy you were eating before you started the program, how easy it is to fall off the wagon, and how far you can fall from said wagon. And it’s not easy getting back on that wagon, like anything that requires willpower. But like I said,  although I can give up a lot of things, chocolate is not one of them. I have always found ways to build chocolate into my WW eating plan, with healthy desserts like my Homemade Chocolate Yogurt, my Healthy Applesauce & Spinach Brownies, and my Healthy Chocolate Clusters for example. I would also get my chocolate fix by adding the tiniest squirt of chocolate syrup to a glass of non-fat milk. And recently I've discovered an herbal chocolate chai tea.

🔪Instructions

** Heads up: There is an hour of chilling time involved in this recipe, so make sure to budget for that!

Skinny "Whipped Cream"

Avocado Mousse:

• Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh and put into a small blender or food processor. 
• Add the agave, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, milk and almond extract to the food processor. Blend until very smooth. Taste and adjust for desired sweetness. * If you add more agave, this will increase the calorie count and WW points

This healthy Valentine's Chocolate Cake is technically an icebox cake. And as you may or may not know, icebox cakes aren't really cakes. They just resemble cake once the whipped cream magically softens the layers of wafer cookies or crackers, just enough to make them tender and flaky, transforming them into a torte-like dessert. They are called icebox cakes because back in the day, before electricity and refrigerators, this easy "cake" would be put into the icebox to set.

This Icebox Valentine's Day Cake actually softens faster than a typical icebox cake made with whipped cream because the evaporated milk doesn't hold as long as whipped cream and liquefies faster. Hence, the reason your timing on this needs to be spot on with serving this dessert.

💭Top Tip

Evaporated Milk Whipping Cream

Did you know that you can use evaporated milk as a substitute for whipping cream? Whipped cream, chocolate and strawberries are one of my ultimate fave combos and since I couldn't find a light Valentine's Day dessert with this delectable trio, I made my own. My Skinny whipped cream is made with evaporated milk instead of heavy cream, so it is at least ½ the fat of whipped cream.

You can also use evaporated milk as a liquid substitute in your cooking or baking (think fettuccine alfredo) to reduce the fat. Read more here: How to use evaporated milk as a substitute for whipping cream in cooking.

However, I must note that the evaporated milk does not hold the whip the same way whipping cream does, so you need to eat it very soon after preparing it. Yet, this cake needs an hour to set. So following the directions and timing is pretty important here! IF you let it sit too long, you’ll end up with a runny dessert. And you CANNOT use the fat-free or partly skimmed evaporated milk. They won’t work. I know this because I tested it myself.

🥗 Meals to Serve with this cake

Here are some healthy Valentine's day meal suggestions for what to serve with this cake

• Baked Chicken Cacciatore (shown)
• Orange Hoisin Chicken
• Easy Cornish Hens with Rosemary Wine Sauce
• Air Fryer Roast Chicken (with lemon, rosemary, and garlic)

🍽Equipment

Since Valentine's Day is all about heart-shaped desserts, I serve this light Valentine's Day cake in these cute little heart-shaped dishes. However, you can serve them in a clear glass/dish or pretty much any dish. Just build the cake right in the dish, as pictured in the recipe. You will also need an electric mixer and a food processor (affiliate links) to make the avocado mousse.

🌡️Storage

Store leftover heart shape chocolate cake in the fridge overnight. However, note that the "whipped cream" won't hold the whip for very long.

👪 Serving Size

This Light Valentine's Day cake makes 2 servings. But if for whatever reason, you are flying solo with dessert this year, this heart-shaped cake can also be made for one. You can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

So, if you are looking for romantic desserts for two and/or romantic desserts with strawberries that won't leave you overdrawn at the calorie bank, then give this healthy Valentine's Day cake a try.

And be sure to give my Chocolate Avocado Mousse & Strawberry Spoon Mini Desserts a try. It's another healthy and easy recipe for Valentine's day!