Birthday Cake! 🎂 Great for a smash cake or younger child’s cake. Or for anyone looking for a healthy cake.
This cake turns out amazing!
and the best part about it. ….
it’s gluten free, dairy free, egg free, AND sugar free, Vegan!I made this for my daughter’s second birthday and her auntie yells out… I bet it was made with BREASTMILK too 😉 Hahaha!
organic homemade so you never know!Either way all the guests loved it and raved how good it was!I use carob powder in this recipe because it’s a great caffeine free alternative to chocolate. So it’s great for babies and kids. If you aren’t needing it to be caffeine free, feel free to substitute for unsweetened cocoa powder.
Chocolate Carob Double Layer Cake with Chocolate filling & Cashew Frostingmakes: 9 inch round double layer cake with frosting in between and top and sides, with a filled chocolate center.**to make a simple single layer smash cake without chocolate filling. Look at notes below.INGREDIENTS: Cake: (SMASH CAKE NOTES BELOW)
- 44 pitted medjool dates (turned into paste with water)
(about 3 lbs) - 4 Tbs baking powder
- 4 Tbs carob powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups oat flour (just under 4 cups)
Cashew Frosting: (4 cups/32 oz)
- 2 cups raw cashews soaked overnight in water, drained
- 20 pitted medjool dates into paste
- 5.4 oz can unsweetened coconut cream chilled overnight.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- thinned/blended with unsweetened plant milk until desired thickness.
Chocolate Filling
- 18 pitted medjool dates (paste)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8th tsp pink sea salt
- 3 Tbs carob powder
- 3 Tbs raw almond butter
Decorate:
- Top with fresh cut strawberries and unsweetened coconut shreds
- And Candles!
INSTRUCTIONS: Cashew Frosting:
- Best to make cashew frosting the day before and keep in a lidded container in fridge. It will firm up nicely.
- Soak the raw cashews in a dish submerged in filtered water on the counter overnight until soft and swollen, drain. (Skip this step if using a quality high speed blender)
- Remove pits and stems from dates by hand. Soak the pitted dates in filtered water in a dish on counter for at least an hour. You can use hot water to speed up soaking. Until plump and soft.
- In a blender, add the coconut cream, dates, cashews, and then blend adding a little unsweetened plant milk or the sweet date water you soaked them in, a tiny amount at a time to make it go and thin it out to desired thickness. Keep it nice and creamy but well blended. Let it set up overnight in the fridge.
Chocolate Filling:
- You can make the chocolate filling ahead of time as well.
- Remove pits and stems from dates by hand. Soak the pitted dates in filtered water in a dish on counter for at least an hour. You can use hot water to speed up soaking. Until plump and soft.
- In a blender or food processor, add dates, almond butter, carob, salt, vanilla. Blend well. Keep in a lidded container in fridge until ready to use. Try not to eat it all with a spoon before then!
Cake:
- Preheat oven 350°F
- In a large mixing bowl add the oat flour, baking powder, and carob. Mix.
- Remove pits and stems from dates by hand. Soak the pitted dates in filtered water in a dish on counter for at least an hour. You can use hot water to speed up soaking. Until plump and soft.
- In a food processor blend the dates into a thick and smooth paste. Add the paste to the dry mix and incorporate. Mix in vanilla.
- NOTES: if your date paste is very thick then your batter will need to thinned out. Add the sweet date water you soaked them in a little at a time until your batter looks like typical cake consistency. Otherwise your cake will come out dense.
- Pour batter into two greased or parchment lined round 9 inch cake pans.
- bake cake layers individually one at a time 20-25 minutes until toothpick test comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
- Add chocolate filling between layers and frost well. Decorate as desired.
- Keep in fridge till ready to serve.
- Enjoy!
My Comments:
- Yes this cake uses a lot of dates! But just think of them as bananas beautiful cousin. A great place to find good medjool dates for less is at Costco.
- Like I mention above, I use carob powder in this recipe because it’s a great caffeine free alternative to chocolate. So it’s great for babies and kids. If you aren’t needing it to be caffeine free, feel free to substitute for unsweetened cocoa powder.
- If you can only find toasted carob powder, that is fine, in fact i personally prefer it, however note that it has a distinct marshmellow-like flavor.
- This cake uses simple minimal ingredients. I hope you feel good about serving this to your family.
- SMASH CAKE SINGLE LAYER** to make a single layer smash cake with frosting and no filling; Cut the cake ingredients in half, so example you would use only 22 dates and 2 cups flour. For the cashew frosting again half it so it’s 1 cup cashews, 10 dates, 1/2 can coconut cream, etc. And omit the chocolate filling. Decorate as desired. Enjoy!
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