This has been an exciting week. Amongst other things, I tried my hand at making raw cake for the first time, and I must say I'm very pleased with the result. My Raspberry Chocolate Rhapsody Cake is visually stunning, not to mention absolutely decadent!
And to top it all up, I just received Russell James' inspiring 'News From the Kitchen' eZine in my inbox today. Imagine my surprise when I saw that he, too, has been playing with chocolate and raspberries. It's a small raw world I tell ya!
Raspberry Chocolate Rhapsody Cake
Chocolate Brownie Layer:
2 cups walnuts
2 cups pecans
1 cup pitted dates
1/3 cup cacao powder
1/3 cup carob powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbs water
Place walnuts and pecans in a food processor and process until ground. Add dates, cacao, carob and vanilla extract. Process until well mixed. Add the water and process briefly.
White Chocolate-Raspberry Layer:
(Adapted from Vanessa Sherwood's wonderful White Chocolate-strawberry Cheesecake)
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup cashews and/or macadamia nuts
3 Tbs melted coconut oil
1 Tbs melted cacao butter
2 Tbs honey or agave
1 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Blend in Vita-mix or high speed blender until smooth.
Coconut Vanilla Creme Topping:
1 cup young coconut meat
1/4 cup coconut or regular water
1/2 cup cashews, soaked
2 Tbs coconut oil, melted
1 Tbs honey or agave
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Blend in Vita-mix or high speed blender until smooth. Put it fridge or freezer to thicken up.
Assembly:
In a spring form pan or large plastic margarine tub lined with saran wrap, layer 1/2 of the chocolate mixture, followed by 1/2 of the raspberry mixture.
Put in freezer to set. Then repeat.
Again, let set in the freezer.
When the last raspberry layer has firmed up, gently transfer the cake onto a serving plate.
If desired, decorate with chocolate sauce (just mix 1 part melted coconut oil with 1 part agave or maple syrup and 1 part cacao powder). I bet fresh raspberries would work really well too.
Now close your eyes and savor how scrumptious raw desserts can be!
Carmella's Notes:
~ The texture was awesome: firm, with a bit of a crunch due to the brownie layer. It complemented the creaminess of the raspberry layer really well. Oh, and moist too. As for the taste, well, it cannot be put into words! lol We love brownies, and we love love berry cheesecake, so the two combined... Ahhhhhhhhh!
~ I found it a tad too sweet for my taste, but I've already adjusted the measurements to reflect that. You have to keep in mind that once the 2 layers are combined, plus the icing, it all adds up. Feel free to modify to your own liking, of course.
And to top it all up, I just received Russell James' inspiring 'News From the Kitchen' eZine in my inbox today. Imagine my surprise when I saw that he, too, has been playing with chocolate and raspberries. It's a small raw world I tell ya!
Raspberry Chocolate Rhapsody Cake
Chocolate Brownie Layer:
2 cups walnuts
2 cups pecans
1 cup pitted dates
1/3 cup cacao powder
1/3 cup carob powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbs water
Place walnuts and pecans in a food processor and process until ground. Add dates, cacao, carob and vanilla extract. Process until well mixed. Add the water and process briefly.
White Chocolate-Raspberry Layer:
(Adapted from Vanessa Sherwood's wonderful White Chocolate-strawberry Cheesecake)
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup cashews and/or macadamia nuts
3 Tbs melted coconut oil
1 Tbs melted cacao butter
2 Tbs honey or agave
1 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Blend in Vita-mix or high speed blender until smooth.
Coconut Vanilla Creme Topping:
1 cup young coconut meat
1/4 cup coconut or regular water
1/2 cup cashews, soaked
2 Tbs coconut oil, melted
1 Tbs honey or agave
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Blend in Vita-mix or high speed blender until smooth. Put it fridge or freezer to thicken up.
Assembly:
In a spring form pan or large plastic margarine tub lined with saran wrap, layer 1/2 of the chocolate mixture, followed by 1/2 of the raspberry mixture.
Put in freezer to set. Then repeat.
Again, let set in the freezer.
When the last raspberry layer has firmed up, gently transfer the cake onto a serving plate.
Here's what the cake looked like when I removed it from the mold:
Then cover it with the Coconut Vanilla Cream topping:
If desired, decorate with chocolate sauce (just mix 1 part melted coconut oil with 1 part agave or maple syrup and 1 part cacao powder). I bet fresh raspberries would work really well too.
Now close your eyes and savor how scrumptious raw desserts can be!
Carmella's Notes:
~ The texture was awesome: firm, with a bit of a crunch due to the brownie layer. It complemented the creaminess of the raspberry layer really well. Oh, and moist too. As for the taste, well, it cannot be put into words! lol We love brownies, and we love love berry cheesecake, so the two combined... Ahhhhhhhhh!
~ I found it a tad too sweet for my taste, but I've already adjusted the measurements to reflect that. You have to keep in mind that once the 2 layers are combined, plus the icing, it all adds up. Feel free to modify to your own liking, of course.
Mmmmmm... Want a piece?
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Carmella,
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. I am relatively new to raw foods (about three months ago I started) and I love to prepare the food. I have a real weakness for sweets and your site is the bomb! I am looking forward to making some of your creations. Check out my blog (not anywhere near as awesome as yours) and let me know what you think. I am building it more and more and can't wait to start posting more recipes.
Marc
Thanks Marc. Hey, it's a journey and we all gotta start somewhere, bro!
ReplyDeleteWill go check up on ya as soon as I get the chance! ;-)
Hi Carmella. A week does not go by without my visiting your blog. I love your zen like approach to everything. I made this cake yesterday and it is the most delicious and enjoyable raw food item that I have made to date. Some raw foods are just a bit "off", but this has taste, texture and visual. Thanks so much for sharing and keep up the wonderful work. I look forward to visiting as much as possible your site.
ReplyDeleteDeb
gorgeous colors. love it visually. will try it one of these days.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful compliments!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you're enjoying my sunny kitchen and that this cake was such a treat for you, Deborah. We finished the last of ours yesterday and I must say I was seduced all over again! ;-)
Raw blessings,
Carmella
hi, elayne here in fiji paradise.
ReplyDeleteanyone out there ever made a cake using fizzy green coconut juice to raise the raw fruit and nut ingredients in it to the consistency of a ';cooked' cake?
I had one in cairns once , and it was awesome... now i want to make my own!
Fun! I might try it omitting the chocolate layers--making a big pie just using a nut crust at the bottom, then the raspberry filling and the icing on top. I have a huge black raspberry patch where I live and can never find enough ways to use them!
ReplyDeleteWhat I can't use I usually just put in the dehydrator or freeze to get me through the winter....
Iscoop,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great plan! Enjoy! ;-)