Alright, girls — let’s set the record straight: chocolate is a superfood, a libido-boosting, antioxidant-packed, brain-loving, nutrient powerhouse of delight. But here’s the kicker — ONLY when it’s minimally messed with.

Obviously I’m not talking about the sugary milk chocolate bar that comes wrapped in shiny foil and loaded with guilt, additives and seed oil sludge. No, way. I’m talking about the real deal — raw, powerful, goddess-grade CACAO and 85% dark chocolate.

Chocolate is having a hot moment right now — like, hotter than a peri flash in a North Face downie. Even food medicine legends like Dr William Li are fangirling over it so hard you’d think he owned stock in an artisanal cacao farm. And honestly? We get it.

But as with all things food and fabulous, the devil is in the detail. Choose the wrong kind of chocolate and instead of boosting your mood, you’ll wreak havoc with your hormones, fog up your brain, and fast-tracking yourself to a midlife meltdown.

So, how do you know if your chocolate will bless your body or mess with your mood?

Here’s the lowdown — no BS, no sugar-coating (literally):

The healthiest, sexiest, most life-giving chocolate is the least messed-with version. That means raw, unprocessed cacao, not that ultra-processed dopamine spiking candy-milk you grabbed after you ran out of hot guys to swipe on Tinder.

Raw cacao? It’s ancient. Sacred. OG goddess medicine. Used by the Aztec and Mayan men as far back as 4,000 BC, and forbidden to women because it was too intoxicating and powerful —  boss men sipped it spiced and bitter, a potent elixir of aphrodisiac, psychedelic, divine goodness. Move over coffee, this was the real performance enhancer.

Then along came the industrial food machine and — surprise! — they stuffed it full of cheap fats, seed oils (those sneaky emulsifiers), and sugar until it became… well, toxic tummy torture.

If you’re here for the health perks (and let’s be real, we always are), then here’s the golden rule: the darker, the better. We’re talking 70% cacao minimum. Not only does it taste richer, it’s loaded with flavonoids that your heart, brain, and maybe even your Aztec goddess libido will thank you for.

Think 100% Chocolate Bites, 100% Pure Cacao or 85%, 90% and 100% Cocoa Dark Chocolate, which all have low to no sugar and high antioxidants. Not to be confused with chocolate coloured candy bars, such as Choceur, Dairy Milk and Whittakers Milk, with 50 – 60% sugar and no antioxidants. Chalk and cheese.

And how do you make it taste yummy if you’re used to all that sugar???

Gradually ween yourself onto it.

Start with 70% and gradually slide into 85% etc etc. My 24 year old son combines his with goji berries or blueberries and says its impossible to binge. After one square, he’s done.

And when it comes to getting your antioxidants from hot or iced cacao medicine, add a teaspoon of honey and 2 tablespoons of cream … yum yum … and you wont even miss the sugar.

And of course, Wild Women always prefer it on a windswept cliff, post-hike, with a thermos of wild-woman dandelion and chicory root tea and your favourite fierce friends.

Enter: The Cake of Midlife Dreams 

Now, let’s talk cake. Not just any cake. This is the cake. The one you’ll bake for hiking milestones, breakup recovery parties, and “I’m still a goddess, dammit” moments.

The base is a classic from Stephanie Alexander’s dog-eared The Cook’s Companion — a 1996 kitchen bible for anyone who knows how to use a wooden spoon and stand her ground. My version? Let’s just say it’s been gently bossed around over the last 25+ years. Less sugar, more chocolate, less brandy, more coffee. Gluten-free. Rich. Moist. Life-affirming.

It’s got a wild streak — like all the best women — and she can be a little fragile in transit. So we recommend baking it in a springform tin and keeping her snug in there until you reach the cliff/hut/kitchen bench. Dust her with icing sugar and serve with fresh raspberries and pure Greek Yogurt for an extra protein burst.

So go ahead… Eat the damn chocolate. Just make it count.

You’re in your prime, your power, your pleasure era. Your chocolate should rise to meet you there.

Wild Women Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 150g 70% – 80% dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp black coffee, preferably espresso, not instant
• 100g salted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup castor sugar
• ¾ cup ground almonds
• 3 eggs, separated
• icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
2. Separate your eggs. If you’re anything like me, you ignored the ingredients list and want to do this part later when the eggs are required, but the cake will be better if you do it now.
3. Make your coffee. I used two scoops of freshly ground coffee in the French press, with just enough water to… wet it. Let it brew.
4. Butter a springform tin and line it with baking paper. When I made this recently, I made a regular sized cake, as well as some muffin-sized cakes, which are perfect for hiking. You do you – but adjust the baking time if you use smaller tins.
5. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate then add the coffee. I stuffed this up a bit last time because my double boiler was a little too hot – make sure you use a ceramic or glass bowl on top to ensure the chocolate melts smoothy.
6. Add the butter and sugar. If the chocolate starts to get weird here (i.e. won’t combine with butter, looks lumpy), don’t panic. Keep mixing, it’ll give you a workout!
7. Add the ground almonds and stir through very well. Your arm should be properly tired by now, you’re welcome.
8. Lightly beat the egg yolks and add them to the chocolate mixture.
9. Beat egg whites until firm. You don’t want stiff peaks, but it should be very white and fluffy.
10. Add a couple of spoons of egg to chocolate mixture to lighten it, the fold the rest of the whites in and fold in. It takes a while, be patient.
11. Spoon into your prepared tin and bake for 25-40 mins (depending on size of tin). To check if it’s done, it should be a little gooey in the centre, with a crust.
12. Allow it to cool completely before gently removing from tin and dusting with icing sugar. Use a Wild Women stencil if it floats your boat!
13. Serve with vanilla ice cream and berries.

This beautiful cake keeps well in the freezer, sliced into bite sized servings!

But wait … there’s more …

Di’s Famously Ever-Evolving Bliss Bars

I started blending bliss bars over 20 years ago, tweaking and tweaking to eventually develop the most nutritious delicious bliss bars that delivers more protein, more punch, more crunch, no added sugar and no added fat.

You’ll love these delicious nutritious bliss bars, which are packed full of love and nutrition to keep you and your family healthy and happy every day. They are a perfect, super food snack for wilderness walks, long-haul adventures, Coastrek hikes, exam weeks and breaky on the go.

Ingredients:

• 300gm pitted dates
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup raw cacao
• 50gm low sugar crystalised ginger
• 4 – 5 tbls extra strong freshly plunged espresso coffee
• 2 cups roast macadamia nuts
• 2 cup roast brazil nuts (or roast slivered almonds, roast hazelnuts or roast walnuts)

Method:

1. Roast nuts in a moderate oven until golden and crunchy then cool. (I do this the day before)
2. Using a french press, plunge 3 scoops freshly ground coffee and cool.
3. Blend pitted dates, almond meal, cacao, and ginger in blender or food processor until fully mixed. Slowly add the espresso coffee until it becomes a sticky gooey dough.
4. Add roast nuts and blend until they reach your desired texture. I like the nuts in small crunchy bites. You might prefer the nuts rough chopped or finely chopped into the dough, so do what you love. To avoid over chopping the nuts, you can remove dough from the blender and mix by hand in a bowl.
5. For bliss bars (five minutes pressing): Line large wide baking tray with baking paper and press mixture down firmly with hands then rolling pin using your core to really get firm bars. For super firm bars, put fresh socks on, place a small tray on top of mixture & stand on tray to force mixture into block.
6. Refrigerate overnight and cut into 3cm squares and pop in freezer until you fancy a delicious, nutritious snack.
7. For bliss balls (20 minutes rolling): Roll walnut sized blobs into balls and chill.
8. Share wildly with a cliff top cuppa tea or coffee and you’ll feel super satisfied for hours.

Love chocolate? We have you covered! Try our Choc Macadamia Bark, our legendary Wild Women Choc Chip Cookies,  or our delicious Iced Cacao!

Di’s Goddess Cacao Ritual Recipe:

This one has become a daily dose for me, iced in summer and hot in winter. Same ingredients … but ice for the iced. Give it a go … you know you want to … its irresistible AND healthy.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Raw Cacao (I prefer the dutch dark if you can find it)
• 1 teaspoon honey (Summer honey is runny so you do you)
• 50 ml organic milk
• 50 ml pouring cream (make sure its got no stabilisers, thickeners or emulsifiers in it … I use Dairy Famers Pure Cream)
• Boiling water

Method:

1. Put cacao and sugar into a glass or mug and add a big splash of boiling water. Mix to a smooth paste.
2. Add milk and cream and keep mixing.
3. Add boiling water for winter magic and ice for summer sensations.

Prefer to watch the magic happen? We’ve shared a reel for each recipe on Instagram — Wild Women Chocolate Cake, Di’s Bliss Bars, and Di’s daily Goddess Cacao Ritual. Go feast with your eyes!

Love chocolate and hungry for even more? We have you covered! Try our Choc Macadamia Bark, or our legendary Wild Women Choc Chip Cookies!