crazy good raw vegan chocolate cashew cake

I love a challenge! And as food editor at Women's Health South Africa, I love a food challenge more than anything else...

And I got some amazingly cool goodies to play with, resulting in some rad pestos, smoothies and, ultimately, this raw, vegan tart!

The challenge: to make something use Crede Natural Oils Coconut Oil and Flaxseed Oil and OhMega Nut Butter's Smooth Peanut Butter and Cashew Nut Butter.

This dessert is not only easy, it requires no baking and, because it’s quite rich you only need a small slice to satisfy taste buds. It’s also packed with nutrients, protein and good fats!

Serve this at your next dinner party – it’s dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan, so you don’t have to worry about anyone’s fussy dietary requirements (including your own).

If you need more reasons to make it, note that it’ll help you burn fat, fight the cold and give you gorgeous skin.

Coconut cream and oil is a great alternative to dairy cream and butter and works perfectly as a substitute when baking and eating coconut oil can actually help you lose weight. How? It’s packed with MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides), which increase energy expenditure, meaning you’ll burn more kilojoules. Coconut oil can also help you fight bacteria, thanks to the high content of lauric acid.

Vegans have been swearing by flaxseed oil for years. Why? It’s a high source of omega-3 fatty acids (what you’ll normally get from eating salmon), which improves cell membranes. Also, consuming flaxseed oil helps to reduce your risk of cancer and it promotes healthy skin and hair.

This dessert uses peanut butter and cashew-nut butter, both a great source of protein and healthy fats, but cashew nuts also contain antioxidants, vitamin E (great for healthy glowing skin) and B6, while peanuts contain resveratrol, the same heart-healthy compound found in red wine.

What You Need:

Base:

¾ cup desiccated coconut

1 tbsp flax oil

1 tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for greasing

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tbsp honey/ coconut blossom nectar

Layers:

1 tin coconut cream (placed in fridge overnight)

100g raw dark chocolate (dairy-free)

tiny pinch vanilla seeds

½ cup cashew nut butter

2 tbsp honey or coconut blossom nectar

flaked almonds, for garnishing

Method:

1/ Mix all the base ingredients together. Grease the tart tin, then press mixture into the base of the tin. Place in freezer immediately.

2/ Remove the thick coconut cream from the translucent liquid (set aside for smoothies). Divide the coconut cream into two bowls.

3/ Melt the chocolate gently over a double boiler. Mix in half the coconut cream and the vanilla. Remove tart tray from freezer, spread chocolate over and place back in the freezer.

4/ Mix the rest of the coconut cream with the cashew nut butter and sweetener. Remove tart tray from freezer, spread cashew mix over. Sprinkle with almonds and place in the fridge to set for another hour or so. Then serve!

Serves 8. 

For more info on Crede oils, visit: https://www.credeoils.com/

And for more on OhMega Nut Butters, visit http://www.ohmega.co.za/

 

Photos: James Garaghty