I have a confession to make. My name is Miss Lycia and I am a dessertaholic. In my younger days, I used to fantasize about my aunt’s red velvet cake, make daily runs for McDonald’s apple pies, and spend my all extra change on chocolate chip cookies from the school cafeteria. (Yes, it was that bad).

When making the decision to eat more healthy, I struggled with the idea of letting go of my desserts. (Part with my Dad’s coconut cake? Noooooo!) Lucky for me (and you!) I discovered I could make desserts that taste as scrumptious as the sugar snacks, without the side effects of weight gain, mood swings, and diabetic comas.

The recipes below are taken from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts by Ani Phyo. They both use only ingredients provided by nature. Enjoy!

Macaroons

Ingredients

* 1/3 cup pitted Medjool dates
* 1 1/2 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen and thawed*
* 1/4 cup agave or honey
* 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
* 2 cups shredded coconut

Combine strawberries, dates, agave nectar and vanilla in food processor and mix well. Add coconut and pulse to mix. Use your hands and roll the dough into balls. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour to harden. Will last for one week in the refrigerator.

*You can also substitute pineapples or cacao for the strawberries to add a different flavor.

Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake

Ingredients

Fudge Cake:
3 cups dry walnuts
2/3 cup unsweetened cacao powder or carob powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup pitted Medjool dates

Frosting:
1/3 cup pitted Medjool dates
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup ripe avocado flesh (from about 1 medium avocado)
1/3 cup cacao powder

Filling:
1/2 cup raspberries

To make the cake, combine the walnuts, cacao powder, and salt in the food processor and pulse until coarsely mixed. Avoid overprocessing. Add the dates and pulse until mixed well. Shape into 2 stackable cakes of desired shape and set aside.

To make the frosting, combine the dates and agave syrup in the food processor and process until smooth. Add the avocado and process until smooth. Add the cacao powder and process until smooth.

To serve, frost the top of one of the cakes with half the frosting and top with the raspberries. Stack the second cake on top and frost the top and side. Serve immediately, or place in the refrigerator for a couple hours to firm up.

The cake on its own will keep in the fridge for many weeks. The frosting will keep separately in the fridge for 1 week. The assembled cake with raspberries will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.