For the Cake:

¾ cup pecans

2 ½ cups water

1 ½ cups Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sucanat

¼ cup cocoa

1 cup couscous

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 package (10 ounces) barley malt chocolate chips*

2 packages (10 ½ ounces each) firm silken tofu, at room temperature

To make the cake, roast the pecans at 300 degrees F for about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Grind the roasted pecans in a food processor for 5 to 10 seconds.  They should have the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the water, Sucanat, cocoa, and couscous.  Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened (5 to 10 minutes).  Add the vanilla and stir well.  Spread the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan.  Sprinkle ¼ cup of the roasted pecan meal over the couscous cake.  Pour the filling (recipe below) over the cake and top with the remaining pecan meal.  Refrigerate the cake until it is set (about 2 hours).  Serve cold.

To make the filling, melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.  Transfer to a blender, add the tofu and maple syrup, and blend until smooth.

*Barley malt chips are chocolate chips sweetened with barley malt syrup rather than sugar and are available at natural food stores.