Getting Lean and Eating No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Cake

Yes, I know I sound a little odd sometimes. Even to myself.

But since losing fat comes down to a calorie deficit, I leave room now and then for something delicious and a little indulgent that won't blow my calorie budget.

Take this vegan chocolate cake: just 3 ingredients you can find at any supermarket, and a big hit with kids. Especially one kid who's very dear to me.

I like making this cake for birthdays, or whenever I don't have the time or patience to bake but still want to impress.

The best part? It's creamy, luscious, and tastes outrageously decadent without going overboard. And you can't taste the tofu at all. – I promise!

Here's the scoop:

There's no extra sugar added to this cake beyond what's already in the chocolate and petit beurre cookies (crisp tea cookies popular in Israel).

No coconut oil, which is high in saturated fat.

No cashews, which can get pretty expensive.

The whole cake costs me 30 – 40 shekels (Israeli currency).

It also took me just 10 minutes to put together, without leaving a mountain of dishes in the sink. And I found everything at my neighborhood supermarket. No special trip to a health food store required.

Talk about having your cake and eating it, too. What's not to love?

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How does it fit into your eating plan?

A slice can be part of your weekly "cheat meal" without throwing your calorie budget wildly off track.

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Nutrition information provided by Noam Bechar (an Israeli nutritionist and fitness coach)

One slice contains:

290 calories

36 g carbohydrates

5 g protein

14 g fat (including 1.9 g saturated fat)

Just a few spots left in my high-protein cooking workshop!

No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Cake

Just 3 ingredients make a creamy, rich, sweet cake that doesn't have to blow your calorie budget. Now that's having your cake and eating it, too. Just blend, assemble, and refrigerate!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 11 minutes

Yield 10 slices

Ingredients

• 300 g (10.6 oz) dark chocolate dairy-free
• 260 g (9.2 oz) petit beurre cookies 1 sleeve, vegan
• 340 g (12 oz) silken tofu 1 package

Instructions

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over boiling water.
2. Add the tofu and melted chocolate to a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Crumble the petit beurre cookies with your hands and moisten with 2–3 tablespoons water.
   
4. Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of a 24 cm (9½-inch) springform pan, reserving a handful of crumbs for the topping.
   
5. Pour the chocolate-tofu mixture over the cookie crust and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
6. Sprinkle with the reserved cookie crumbs just before serving.