This raw cake is incredibly quick and easy to make. One can use any type of nuts and dried fruit as sweetener. The cacao flavour of this cake can also be changed into a more fruity one, by blending in frozen or fresh fruit and the cake will still set perfectly.
Crust
3/4 cup raw almonds (not soaked; but if soaked already, dehydrate first until dry)
1/2 cup coconut chips
3 Tbsp carob powder
1 tsp vanilla powder
pinch of Himalayan salt
5 fresh dates, chopped
2 - 3 Tbsp apple juice/water
Method for crust
1. Place the almonds in a food processor fitted with an S-blade and process until coarsely chopped.
2. Add the coconut chips, carob powder, vanilla and salt. Process to coarse-fine.
3. Add the dates and apple juice or water. Blend briefly. Add more liquid if the mixture is too crumbly.
4. Press the mixture into the bottom only of a cake tin with a removable bottom (spring-form).
5. Place in the freezer while you make the dark chocolate filling.
Dark chocolate layer
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked 2 - 3 hours and drained
1/2 cup thick home-made almond milk
4 Tbsp apple juice
4 Tbsp raw cacao powder
3 Tbsp Irish moss blend *
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Method for dark chocolate layer
1. Place all the ingredients in a strong liquidizer. Use the plunger to make it easier on the blades.
2. Pour the smooth mixture onto the crust in the cake tin. Keep about 2 Tbsp back to decorate the torte with later.
3. Level the surface as best you can. Wipe off any spills on the sides of the cake tin with a damp piece of kitchen paper. The torte displays more beautifully if the layers are level and clear with no smears.
4. Place in the freezer for the chocolate layer to set quicker.
White chocolate layer
1 cup cashew nuts, soaked 2 - 3 hours and drained
1 cup thick home-made almond milk
1 ripe banana
4 Tbsp raw white coloured honey OR 4 Tbsp light agave syrup (not a raw product though)
2 Tbsp Irish moss blend
pinch of Himalayan salt
Method for white chocolate layer
1. Place all the ingredients in a strong blender. Use the plunger again to assist the blades.
2. Pour carefully on top of the dark chocolate layer.
3. Drop half teaspoonfuls of the dark chocolate filling on top of the white layer and with a chopstick draw curly-tails beyond the circles onto the white layer for decorative effect.
4. Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to set.
Makes 1 medium large torte, enough for 12 - 16 slices.
* Make your Irish moss blend by soaking a handful of dried Irish moss in a bowl of water for 2 hours. Rinse well. Place in blender with about 1/4 cup of filtered water. Blend until smooth and thick. Add a little more water if the mixture seems too thick. Store what you don't need for this recipe in the refrigerator.
Hint: If you don't have a strong blender such as the Vitamix or Blendtec, crush the nuts first with a mortar and pestle until soft crumbs form (not a butter). Blend then with the liquids until as smooth as you can manage.
Laurinda Erasmus is a vegan chef and author of a vegan recipe book, called Benessere well-being: vegan & sugar-free eating for a healthy life-style, by Quinoa Publishing. The book has over 520 recipes, each with a colour photograph, taken by the author herself. The book won a gold medal at the Living Now Book Awards in New York, USA. She is passionate about the vast possibilities of creating plant-based meals, the increased wellness and energy through plant nutrition and making a smaller impact on our precious ecosystem. Through her book and vegan classes, she shows healthy and fun ways of how to bring more plant-based meals into one's diet. She also travels extensively, always collecting new recipes and re-writing them as vegan dishes. She shares her tips for vegan travellers and with vegan travel recipes on her blogsite http://veganwellbeing.wordpress.com/ and her book can be viewed at http://www.veganwellbeing.net/.
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