I was a little reluctant to post this recipe because this cake is a little more complicated than most of the other raw desserts on the blog. It’s not overly hard to make, but it is a large cake with layers and so requires quite a few ingredients. I made this cake mostly because I needed an excuse to photograph the little kumquats that I picked up at the farmer’s markets. I have never seen kumquats before and thought that they were golden berries. I’ve seen lots of influencers use golden berries in the smoothies and desserts and so was keen to try some myself but I have come to understand that kumquats are completely different. They are a very strange little fruit that needs to be eaten whole, with the skin. The inside is very sour but the skin is sweet. It’s almost like eating a sour lolly. From memory, sour lollies were sour on the outside and you had to persevere in order to get to the sweet center. This is the same but opposite, it feels like a sour explosion in the mouth following citrusy sweet taste. There are actually no kumquats in this recipe except for decoration. I have however used some dried goldenberries in the base which gives the base a really special flavour. If you can’t find dried goldenberries, you can use any other dried fruit you like, like goji berries and sultanas or simply add more dates.
For the layers, I find it most useful to divide my cashews into two separate bowls while soaking and make the layers separately. soaking them all in the same bowl makes it harder to measure out especially since the cashews expand while soaking. I love using my food-grade essential oils in cooking, but I am aware that not everyone has essential oils (I certainly didn’t for a very long time). I don’t think I can recommend any other replacement as food flavourings are generally very chemical-based and unhealthy but you can substitute the oil with some orange zest for a deeper orange flavour instead. Orange juice alone does not impart too much flavour. The zest of one orange should be enough but I would add it in slowly and taste in case it is too strong.
Personally, I hate making layered cakes even though they are incredibly beautiful because they are too much effort. Luckily for the first chocolate layer, the cacao does not take long to solidify so you can add the second layer on top almost as soon as you make it. You do not need to wait for the layer to be completely set, just hard enough for the fillings not to mix into one another. Once the cake is completely set, I recommend moving it into the fridge and letting it sit there for a few hours. It is a very large cake and will take a very long time to thaw out. The texture, when kept in the fridge, is perfect, so I would personally keep it in there and only freeze it if you are wanting to save it for another time. As usual, this chocolate orange golden berry cake is gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free.
On another note, I have been listening to a lot of hormone-related podcasts lately that have been talking about the importance of gut health for hormone health. They all recommend trying a variety of different plant foods (mostly vegetables and fruit) to help diversify the microbiome and strengthen and heal the gut. The recommendations I am hearing is eating at least 50 different foods a week. That is quite a lot! so I love visiting places like farmers markets where you can find quirky different foods that are not readily found in supermarkets. For me both the kumquats and the goldenberries were new! Although I don’t think they will be a regular part of my diet, it is nice to try something different and diversify my microbiome even in a tiny way.
| Raw Vegan Chocolate Orange Golden-berry Cream Cake | Print |
- BASE:
- 1 cup almonds
- ¾ cup dates
- ¼ cup dried golden-berries
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 2 TBSP cacao powder
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- CHOCOLATE LAYER:
- 1 cups cashews (soaked for 3-4 hours or overnight)
- 4 TBSP maple syrup
- 1 cup cacao butter
- 2 TBSP almond milk
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ORANGE CREAM LAYER:
- 2 cups cashews (soaked for 3-4 hours or overnight)
- 3 TBSP maple syrup
- 1 can organic coconut cream
- juice 1 orange
- 2 TBSP coconut oil
- 6 drops orange essential oil *
- For the base, break down the almonds in a food processor until they are a fine crumb. Add the rest of the base ingredients and blitz again until they are crumbly and sticky. Press down evenly onto the base of a cake tin and set aside.
- For the chocolate layer, meltdown the cacao butter over low heat.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until as smooth as possible. Pour in the melted cacao butter and blend again.
- Pour the mixture over the base and place in the freezer to harden. In the meantime, make the orange layer.
- For the orange layer, place all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. I like to squeeze my own orange juice using a hand press but you can use another good quality orange juice if you prefer. It should measure out about ⅓ cup.
- Once the chocolate layer has hardened slightly (it does not need to be fully set, just har enough for the fillings not to mix), pour over the orange cream layer and smooth it out as best as possible. Place back in the freezer to fully set for about 4 hours or overnight.
- Decorate with kumquats or goldenberries of whatever you like, slice and enjoy. This is a large cake so it will take a while to thaw. It can be placed in the fridge once it is set overnight and it should be a good texture to eat the following morning. Stores well in the fridge or freezer.
- *if you don't have food-grade orange essential oil you can finely zest one orange and add it to the orange cream filling instead.
