Superhealthy Sweet Potato Chocolate Mousse

I was very surprised by these little cups of mousse when I first made them. They were so easy to throw together (just seven ingredients all in one bowl!) and the flavour was just what I was looking for – dark chocolatey and lightly sweetened. This mousse is more true to a dense (yet fluffy) chocolate mousse than other avocado-based versions. I love portioning them into little jars for a snack or dessert to grab throughout the week -they keep well in the fridge for 5-6 days. I also like to serve them with a little sprinkle of sea salt and coconut whipped cream, if I have it.

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, scrubbed clean
5 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
60ml maple syrup
3 tbsp coconut cream
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp ground chia seeds
sprinkle of flaky sea salt, to serve
2 small sterilised jars or glasses (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6. Poke the sweet potato with a fork a few times, place on the oven rack, and bake in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until it’s soft when you squeeze it.

Remove from the oven and allow the sweet potato to cool in the foil. Once cool, peel the skin off (it should come off easily now).

Put the sweet potato flesh into a medium-sized bowl and mash roughly with a fork to break it up.

Mix in the remaining ingredients (apart from the sea salt to serve) using a wooden spoon or a handheld electric whisk, until smooth. For the fluffiest, best results, I use a handheld electric whisk.

Portion into small jars or glasses and place in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. Sprinkle the mousses with flaky sea salt when you are ready to serve.

Extracted from The New Nourishing by Leah Vanderveldt (Ryland Peters & Small, approx €19.50). Photography by Clare Winfield, Ryland Peters & Small.