Way back in 2010 I met the delightful Hannah from A Foodly Affair. Hannah runs amazing cooking classes, coaching and catering and last year she wrote a book about mindful eating.
When we first met we shared some rosehip tea and I made this orange, almond and coconut cake which I later guest-posted on her blog. Head over to her blog to get the recipe and make sure you have a look around while you’re there; I love Hannah’s writing.
Orange, almond and coconut cake recipe >
Blueberries are one of my favourite fruits. I love the colour they create in this cake (anthocyanins give blueberries their pretty hue) but apparently they’re also good for improving memory, lowering cholesterol, digestion and circulation – nice. Sometimes I use frozen blueberries because they can get pretty pricey here in Australia. This recipe makes 2 – 3 servings.
CHOCOLATE BASE
1 CUP ALMONDS 1/2 CUP DUTCH PROCESS COCOA OR CACAO POWDER
1/2 CUP DRIED DATES, CHOPPED
FILLING
1.5 CUPS RAW CASHEWS 1 TABLESPOON LEMON JUICE 1/3 CUP AGAVE NECTAR 1/4 CUP COCONUT OIL
3/4 CUP BLUEBERRIES
EXTRA BLUEBERRIES & AGAVE NECTAR FOR THE TOP
Line the bottom of a springform cake tin with cling film – I used quite a small one with a removable base for this recipe.
For the base, place all base ingredients in the food processor and process until it all comes together. Your food processor won’t like this at first and will make a loud noise as it grinds through the almonds. Persist. You may need to scrape down the sides every so often and add in a splash of water to help it along. Once it’s all come together pat this into the base of the tin and up the sides evenly. You may need to wet your hands with water slightly to smooth it out. Place it in the freezer until the filling is ready.
For the filling, place all ingredients in the food processor except the coconut oil and blend until smooth as possible (mine took around two-three minutes), then add in the coconut oil in a stream until incorporated. Spoon on top of base and smooth the top with the back of the spoon. Refrigerate overnight or place in the freezer for a few hours. When you’re ready to eat it, spoon the extra blueberries onto the top and drizzle with a teaspoon of agave nectar to make it shiny.
I’ve been vegetarian for most of my life, vegan for 16 years (up until recently). I’m now a vegetarian that doesn’t eat cheese, but I’m not one for labels – I think what you choose to eat is your own business. I’ve always resonated with the philosophy behind raw of eliminating sugar and processed crappy foods and eating fresh fruit and veggies, sprouts, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and making things from scratch instead. I like to make thoughtful food that looks and feels good: physically, emotionally and morally.
I’ve been making raw food since 2001 and back then there wasn’t much around in terms of recipes, books or even some of the ingredients I take for granted now. Since then, I’ve collected a huge stack of raw food recipe books. I find I’m drawn to the ones full of images, but I simplify most of the recipes because I’m lazy – I just can’t be bothered waiting two days to make one dish with dehydrating, soaking, etc. So as much as possible, my recipes are simple and don’t take days and days to make. I also try my best to make them look beautiful to shake the preconceptions that this kind of food isn’t going to look appealing.
Thanks for visiting!
Adrianne 🙂