Chocolate and raspberry layer cake

ingredients

• Wet cake ingredients

  • 3/4 cup date paste
  • 1/4 cup raw agave, raw honey, organic maple syrup or more date paste
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tablespoon cacao butter, melted (or coconut oil if you don’t have cacao butter)

• Dry cake ingredients

  • 3 cup almond pulp or 3½ cups almond flour
  • 1 1/2 cup organic dessicated coconut, blended in a food processor to ‘flour’ consistency
  • 3 tablespoon golden flax meal
  • 1/3 cup freeze-dried raspberries
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder, plus extra for dusting
  • raw chocolate, shaved, for garnish (optional)

• Chocolate cream frosting

  • 2 large avocados (flesh)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup almond milk or water
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/3 cup cacao powder
  • 1/3 cup raw agave, raw honey, organic maple syrup or date paste
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Coconut whipped cream

  • 1 cup cashews, soaked in water for 2-4 hours, drained
  • 1 young coconut (meat only)
  • filtered water or coconut water, if needed
  • 3 tablespoon raw agave, raw honey or organic maple syrup
  • 1/2 vanilla bean (seeds only) or ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon lecithin (optional)

• Raspberry coulis

  • 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
  • 2 tablespoon raw agave, raw honey or organic maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

method

• Chocolate and raspberry layer cake

  • 1

    Blend all wet cake ingredients, except coconut oil and cacao butter, in a high-speed blender until smooth. Slowly add oil and butter and blend until smooth.

  • 2

    Place dry cake ingredients (except raw chocolate), with a pinch of salt, in a bowl. Using a fork or whisk, lightly mix until well combined and there are no lumps of almond pulp.

  • 3

    Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a fork or whisk until well combined but still fluffy. Set aside.

  • 4

    To make the chocolate cream frosting, blend all the frosting ingredients and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor until completely smooth.

  • 5

    To make the coconut whipped cream, blend cashews and coconut until smooth (add a little filtered water or coconut water to get things moving if you need to, but keep it to a minimum). With blender running, add remaining ingredients; blend until smooth. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving (consistency should be a little thicker than whipped cream).

  • 6

    To make the raspberry coulis, place all ingredients in a processor or blender and pulse until lightly mixed (it should be slightly lumpy).

  • 7

    Line a 20cm square cake tin (or a 22cm round tin if you don’t have a square one) with plastic wrap. Press half the cake mixture into the bottom and pour half the frosting on top.

  • 8

    Place in freezer for 30-40 minutes to set frosting then press rest of the cake mixture on top followed by the rest of the frosting (for a different look, make thinner layers by dividing cake mix and frosting into thirds or quarters).

  • 9

    Leave to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. It is now ready to serve or will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.

  • 10

    To serve, dust with extra cacao powder, cut into small squares and, if desired, sprinkle with shaved raw chocolate. Accompany with a quenelle of coconut whipped cream and a spoonful of raspberry coulis.