raw vegan (divine) layered cake with raspberry and chocolate

This beauty of a cake was given to me by lovely Cora. It is a raw vegan layered cake, a species of cake that has always intrigued me, and yet I had never tried one.

After the first taste I knew, this cake is worth all the cashews and the fridge and freezer waiting times. Yes, in fact,  I am making a mini version just now for my Sunday guests. Holding my thumbs that it will be just as delicious as the original!

layered cake with raspberry and chocolate

crust
2 cups almonds
15-20 dates
pinch of salt

Soak the almonds and the dates for 6 hours or overnight. Process the almonds and the dates until it all sticks together. If you end up with a little dough ball it's fine. Press it into the bottom of a spring form and put it into the freezer for one hour.

chocolate layer
100g cashews
15 dates
pinch of salt
pinch of vanilla
splash of freshly squeezed lemon
1 cup of soaking water (of the dates and cashews)
50g raw cocoa butter
3 tablespoons cold-pressed coconut oil
3 tablespoons raw cocoa powder

raspberry layer
100g cashews
15 dates
pinch of salt
pinch of vanilla
splash of freshly squeezed lemon
1 cup of soaking water (of the dates and cashews)
50g raw cocoa butter
3 tablespoons cold-pressed coconut oil
300g raspberries


Soak the cashews and the dates for 6 hours. Blend each layer with the salt, vanilla, lemon and one cup of the soaking water until smooth. I recommend using your Vitamix or any other high-speed blender to make the layers as creamy as possible.
Melt the cocoa butter and the coconut oil gently on low heat and blend it into the mixture.
Add the the raspberries respectively the chocolate.
Pour the raspberry layer onto the crust.
Pour the chocolate layer straightaway onto the raspberry layer. Let it set in the freezer for two hours. No longer, because you don't want the liquid to crystallize.
Put the cake into the fridge during the night to solidify.

Before serving cut along the edge to remove the ring of the spring form.  Decorate with shredded coconut, fresh raspberries and dust slightly with palm sugar.

❤️

If you skip the cocoa butter and the coconut oil the mixture will make for a delicious layered cream dessert or even for an ice cream if you put it into the freezer for a few hours.

There's no limit in combining flavours: vanilla and mango, chocolate and banana, rose and mint.....

 raspberry & chocolate on Instagram

homemade eggnog from scratch

This is quite a different "golden milk" than the one in my  previous post. Definitely none of its ingredients belongs to the category health food. But MIND OVER MATTER: Christine's homemade eggnog is so delicious (added to any dessert) that it certainly does have a positive effect on well-being. 

When I asked her to pass the recipe on to my readers, she popped up in my kitchen with a basket full of her preferred ingredients ready to give me the masterclass.

Ingredients:

10 fresh egg yolks

500ml milk

500g icing sugar

1 vanilla pod, scraped

400ml Schnaps (it should be a high percentage, clear spirit; Christine prefers 69,5% Prima Sprit)

Slowly bring the milk, the sugar and the vanilla to a boil, continuously stirring. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Separate the egg-whites from the yolks, discard the whites.

Pour the sweet vanilla milk into the blender. Run the blender at lowest speed and add the yolks. Once they are blended in, slowly add the spirit in a fine and even stream. That's it!

The eggnog should be stored in a cool and dark place. If you keep it in the fridge it will become quite solid after a while.

winter ride