Okay, so this is the fanciest frilliest most epic recipe on the blog so far! How sensationally festive would this look on your Xmas table? Since it’s summer downunder, I was inspired by the vanilla, chocolate, berry combo of the Kiwi classic Jellytip iceblock. But this plant-powered cake version is a nutrient-rich wholefood taste sensation, packed with goodness as well as flavour. Using raw natural ingredients to lock in flavour & texture, it’s made entirely of nuts, fruits & pure sweeteners, dodging all the processed sugars, saturated fats & high-glycaemic flour blends of traditional cheesecakes. Mean clean green cuisine.
For the chocolate base:
1 cup whole natural almonds (soaked overnight then drained)
1 ¼ cups pitted dates
½ tsp pure vanilla
2 Tbsp gently melted cacao butter (or swap for coconut oil)
3 Tbsp cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
¾ cup dessicated coconut – whizzed in the food processor until fine
For the creamy vanilla filling:
1 ½ cups cashews (soaked overnight then drained)
½ cup young coconut flesh *
1/3 cup almond or rice milk
¼ cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1.5 Tbsp pure vanilla
¾ cup gently melted coconut oil
For the berry topping:
3 cups raspberries (frozen is fine, bring them out before you start creating)
3 Tbsp chia seeds
3 Tbsp raw honey, very gently melted (or choose maple if vegan)
1/3 cup warm water
* not the brown husked coconuts! The young ones are usually wrapped in clingfilm in the chilled produce section of your supermarket or fruit shop. You’ll need to be butch & hack the top off (yep it’s tough!) to reveal the interior: they’re full of delicious coconut water – drain this off & save it for later. The coconut ‘flesh/meat’ inside is white, soft & juicy. I scoop it out with a teaspoon…and force myself not to eat it all on the spot…
Line a cake or quiche tin with cling film. This will need to go into your fridge, so clear a wee space for it.
Start by making the base. In a food processor or high speed blender, give the almonds and dates a head-start by blitzing them until they start to coalesce. Add the remaining ingredients until you have a thick, chocolatey, nutty ‘dough’.
Press the ‘dough’ firmly & evenly into the prepared cake tin (damp hands is good here) and put it in the fridge while you make the filling.
Give the food processor a quick rinse, then blitz all the filling ingredients together – except the coconut oil. Once it’s smoothing together nicely, keep the motor running and pour in the melted coconut oil. Blend until you have a wonderfully rich, smooth, creamy concoction.
Pour this mixture evenly over your brown base and return to the fridge.
Now the topping. Whiz the chia seeds to grind them up, add the topping ingredients and blitz until you’ve achieved a vibrant chia jam. Pour this over the creamy layer of your cake, smooth with a spatula. Back to the fridge to thicken.
Give the cake at least four hours in the fridge to ensure it’s thoroughly set. Before serving, you could give it about 10 minutes at room temperature to soften slightly, if preferred.
Leave a Reply