This cake is the result of buying too many passionfruit and not knowing what to do with them! I’m usually not a fan of passionfruit because they can be incredibly sour, but I do love them when they are sweet because despite being both a summer and winter fruit in Australia, they remind me of summer and the tropical home I lived in not that long ago. I thought I would make the most of them since I knew they were in season and were likely to be a lot sweeter than usual (I was right). I actually ended up using at least 6 passionfruit on this cake for the topping from memory as they really don’t have all that much flesh.
For the cake, I used my favorite tropical fruit blend. Its a blend of banana, mango, pineapple, and pawpaw or papaya (same thing). I can actually find this mixture in my local supermarket in the freezer section but it’s always best when I freeze my own when summer fruit is in season. It’s my favourite fruit smoothie combination which I use as is or turn into a green smoothie with extra spinach and kiwi etc. The reason I love it is that it is guaranteed to be extra sweet so I never need to add anything else to my smoothies to make them delicious. This fruit smoothie mix inspired this cake because I’ve been experimenting with sweetening my desserts with fruits only. Personally I love my natural sweeteners but there are people in my family who are pre-diabetic and I want them to be able to eat sweets and enjoy them without stress. Fruit sweetened desserts are also great options for insulin-resistant PCOS sufferers. As you know I like to take care of any of my followers that have hormone imbalances. Although my issues had nothing to do with my insulin or irregular periods, I am aware that PCOS is the most common hormone imbalance out there and I want to recipes to cater to all types of hormonal issues. Of course, it’s still best to eat desserts like this in moderation especially if you have PCOS or are prediabetic/diabetic. As this dessert is mostly fruit, it is of course loaded with fructose, but it is also loaded with lots of fibre which helps to balance out any sugar high. There is also a good mix of plant-based protein and fat in this recipe to keep it satiating.
All in all, this was one of the quickest raw cakes I’ve made to date. Provided you have the mixed fruit already prepped and ready in the freezer, its a really quick dessert to make. I always recommend soaking cashews for at least 3-4 hours or overnight for best results, especially if you do not have a strong blender, but lately, I have been cutting corners and just soaking mine in boiling water for 15 minutes or so. I just put the kettle on and cover the cashews in a bowl once the water is boiled. It’s much easier than boiling them on the stove and it does work to soften them! Not as well as soaking for a long period of time, but since I make raw cakes so often, this is my go-to method for now (plus my blender is really good and I love it to bits)
This recipe is also gluten-free, dairy-free, sweetener-free, refined sugar-free. Enjoy
| Raw Vegan Tropical Fruit Tart | Print |
- BASE:
- 1 cup walnuts
- ½ cup dates
- ¼ cup goji berries
- FILLING:
- 1½ cups cashews (soaked overnight or for 3-4 hours)
- 1 can coconut cream
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- 1 cup mixed tropical frozen fruit (I used banana, pineapple, mango, pawpaw)
- ½ tsp turmeric for colour (optional)
- Passionfruit pulp for topping
- For the base: Breakdown the walnuts in a food processor, add dates and goji berries and process again until sticky. Press down evenly into the bottom of a small cake tin and set aside.
- For the filling: add all the ingredients ( except passionfruit) in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. I used prepacked frozen fruit for my smoothies. You may be able to buy these in the frozen section at the supermarket or freeze your own ahead of time.
- Pour filling over base, smooth and place in the freezer to set for 3-4 hours or overnight. Once set, decorate with passionfruit pulp and any other toppings you like and serve.
