Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups date paste (just process pitted medjool dates and process in the food processor into a paste with a little water)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 6 cups Brazil nut flour (can sub cashew or almond flour)
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries chopped
- 1/4 cup coconut crystals (can sub maple syrup)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup beet juice (color)
CREME FILLING
- 1 cup cashews (soaked 3 hours and drained)
- 2 tbsp coconut crystals (more if you like it sweeter)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 2 cups dried shredded coconut ground into flour
VANILLA CREME FROSTING
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup coconut crystals
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
STEP ONE: Mix chopped strawberries in a bowl with coconut crystals (or maple syrup) and let them sit while you make the rest of the cake.
FLOURS:
You need Brazil nut flour and coconut flour for this cake. I make Brazil nut milk at home and use the leftover pulp. I dehydrate it and then store it in the freezer. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can dry it in your oven. Just spread out the nut pulp on a parchment lined baking sheet and put in the oven at 250f for about 30 minutes. Be sure to spread the nut pulp out into a thin layer so it can dry.
For the coconut flour, take dried shredded coconut and blend it in either a high speed blender or a coffee grinder until it is flour like. Voila! Coconut flour! You can substitute almond flour for the Brazil nut flour if you make almond milk more often.
STEP TWO MIX THE CAKE BATTER:
In a stand mixer, or the bowl of a hand mixer, add date paste, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Whip for 10 minutes until creamy. Add nut flour, coconut flour, strawberries with sugar, lemon juice and beet juice. Mix for another 10 minutes or longer. You want it to be light and fluffy so keep mixing if it seem too thick.
Spread half of the batter in the bottom of a springform pan. Put in the freezer to firm up. Leave remaining batter out on the counter.
STEP THREE MAKE FILLING
In high speed blender, blend soaked cashews with coconut crystals and vanilla in blender until fully smooth and creamy.
Spread filling on top of the bottom layer of cake. Put back in the freezer.
STEP FOUR MAKE FROSTING: Scoop out firm coconut cream from the cans and place in the stand mixer with vanilla. (Do not use the liquid that collects at the bottom or it will not become whipped, use that as coconut water in any other recipe!) Mix at super high speed until it is whipped.
Take bottom cake out of freezer, and add remaining cake batter to the top.
Release cake from springform pan and frost with coconut cream frosting.
Decorate! I used sliced fresh strawberries and dried rose petals, and pressed flaked coconut into the sides of the cake. ENJOY!
DISCLAIMER: As a nutritionist, I have to add…that although obvious, this is NOT a low fat creation! It is a wonderfully delicious raw cake, perfect for celebratory occasions, made from whole, real, organic, plant based ingredients. I don’t recommend eating this whole cake for dinner 😉
