When it rains it pours! Everyone at my work seems to be leaving at the moment (including me!). With all these endings, new beginnings are a certainty which means there is room for new insight and opportunities – e.g your loss is my cake. I have gotten a bit of reputation for raw cake making in the office, so when my gluten/dairy/sugar intolerant co-worker announced her resignation, her lovely friends commissioned me to make a cake.
The brief was short – make something delicious. Oh, and she doesn’t care for chocolate. Eeep – pressures on!
I wanted to make something prettier than I have ever made before so I jumped on the web for inspiration. Of course Pana Chocolate came up. Of course. I don’t know how they do it and make everything look so damn pretty, but I was up for a challenge.
I feel it all worked out well – the berries in the middle layers add some pretty pop next to the stark white and the asymmetrical berry party on the top is visually a bit different than your normal sequentially patterned decorations. The best thing? It wasn’t that hard :D! #winning!
- For the base:
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil or cacao butter (I used 2 of both), gently melted
- 2 tablespoons coconut nectar
- For the white raw cashew cheesecake layer:
- 2 cups raw cashews (soaked in water for at least an hour)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons coconut nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 cup mixed frozen berries – still frozen
- For the mixed berry cashew cheesecake layer:
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked in water for at least an hour)
- 1/2 cup mixed berries – defrosted
- 1/2 coconut milk
- 1/6 cup coconut oil
- Juice and rind of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons coconut nectar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
- To garnish:
- Cracked vanilla
- Extra shredded coconut
- Raspberries
- Sliced almonds
- Freeze dried berries
- Dried Rose Petals
- For the base: Place almonds into a blender and blend until a it becomes a flour.
- Place almond flour into a bowl and repeat with the coconut.
- Add in coconut oil/cacao butter and the coconut nectar and mix well.
- Turn mixture out into a baking paper lined tin and firmly press the mixture in so that it forms an even base.
- For the white raw cheesecake layer: Place all the white raw cheesecake layer ingredients except for the berries into a blender and process until super smooth. You might need to scrap down a few times in between to make sure everything keeps moving.
- Scatter half the berries onto the base – I cut some of the bigger ones in half. Move some to be right at the edge.
- Pour over half white raw cheesecake layer mixture.
- Scatter over the rest of the berries and top with the remaining mixture.
- Place in freezer to set for at least an hour.
- For the mixed berry raw cheesecake layer: Once the white layer sets, place all ingredients for the mixed berry cheesecake layer in the blender and process until smooth.
- Pour over the cake and set in freezer 1-2 hours until set.
- I then kept it in the fridge so it softens somewhat and took it out completely 30 minutes before serving – depends if you want it frozen and ice-cream like or softer.
- To Decorate and serve: Decorate before serving by scattering your coconut, followed by the almonds and the rose petals then top with fresh raspberries, and the freeze dried blueberries. Crack over the vanilla.
- Slice with a hot knife, wiping blade clean after each slice.
