Ever since I started this raw dessert journey of wonderment I have been wanting to make a legitimate A grade, full blown birthday cake for my group of non vegan, dairy eating friends. One that people would be happy to have as their assigned birthday cake and happily eat, not even realising the difference, or quietly thinking to themselves yeah this “cake” tastes Vegan. The whole point of making these desserts for me is fooling the taste buds, and incorporating as many nutrient and good ingredients as I can. I want people to be able to enjoy a raw vegan dessert as much as they would any other dessert…
Well my friends I think I’ve done just that!
I ad lib’d a bit on the traditional vegan cheesecake, I find the cashew centre that most of them contain to be too dense for my liking. SO instead I used a blend of avocado and tofu, which resulted in a velvety light and creamy texture.
The base is an almond meal, chocolate and date mix which adds a nice biscuity contrast to the filling. Needless to say this cake is 100% vegan, raw, gluten free, paleo friendly, and free of all refined sugars. A winner with my non vegan friends and they seem to be pretty surprised when they were told what was actually in this torte.
Serves 10
What you’ll need
Base:
1 1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cacao (optional depending on whether you’d like a plain or chocolate crust)
12 medjool dates (de pipped)
2 tbsp coconut oil
Filling:
1/2 avocado
200g medium tofu
1 cup raw cacao
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
9 medjool dates (de pipped)
Juice from 1 medium orange juice plus the rind for garnish
1 tbsp finely grated orange rind
1/4 cup rice malt syrup
What to do
Base:
In a food processor blitz all your base ingredients until they are mixed well
Transfer to a 9″ pie dish (preferably spring form as it will make it easier to remove later)
Press the ingredients firmly over the base of the dish and up the sides ensuring the mixture is spread evenly and pop into the freezer to set
Filling:
In a food processor blend your tofu and avocado until smooth
Add in the dates and blend for another 30 seconds
Add in the coconut oil, rice malt syrup, orange rind, orange juice and blend for a further 30 seconds (you may need to scrape down the sides at this point to ensure all ingredients are being mixed well)
Add in the cacao and continue to blend until you’ve reached a smooth consistency
Remove your pie dish from the freezer and transfer the filling ingredients straight over top
Smooth out the filling and place back into the freezer for 2 hours
Once the dessert is set carefully remove from the dish, a good way to do this is to run a knife around the edge of the pie dish to ensure the sides aren’t stuck then carefully lift up the base from the bottom.
Slice into 10 pieces and serve with fresh orange pieces on top or a side of strawberries
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge
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