This recipe is also from the Simply Vegan magazine which I bought last year. After neglecting it for a year I’m really making up for it now. 😉 Last month I made the Lamington Bliss Balls and last weekend the “Lemon Sherbet & Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake” by Christina Leopold from Addicted To Dates.

I was pleased that the ingredients were given in grams but when I was out shopping I was really surprised that the recipe called for 460 g cashews; after all they’re not cheap.

Back home I decided to check out the recipe online and thank goodness I did. The conversion cups-to-grams in the magazine, unfortunately, wasn’t quite right. 2 cups of cashews had been converted to 460 g when they actually only weighed around 230 g. Also, 1 cup of shredded coconut weighs about 50 g and not 230 g. I had bought myself a cup measuring set last year and so quite unusual for me I am actually given the ingredients in cups just like on Christina’s blog. With these types of no-bake cakes, I have found that I am okay with cups but with cakes which need to be baked I am quite obsessed with only using recipes in grams.

Ingredients

for the base

– 1 cup of shredded coconut
– 1 cup of skinless almonds *)
– 1 cup of pitted dates
– 1/2 tsp salt
*) skin your own almonds by pouring just boiled water over them and leaving them to stand for about 5 mins. Squeeze the almonds between your fingers and the almond will pop out peeled. Much tastier and cheaper as well.

Raspberry sauce

– 1 cup raspberries – Use fresh raspberries if it’s the season but frozen ones are fine too. Let them thaw first.
– 1,5 tbsp maple syrup

Cake filling

– 2 cups cashews – soak in water for 6 hours, rinse and drain well
– grated zest of an organic lemon
– 80 ml maple syrup
– 125 ml lemon juice
– 1 tsp vanilla extract, paste or powder
– 60 ml coconut oil (melted)
– 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Decoration

– 1/2 cup raspberries
– 2 tbsp chopped pistachios
– 2 tbsp lemon zest

Preparation

Cake Base

– Add the almonds and shredded coconut to your food processor and blitz until they look like breadcrumbs.
– Add the salt and the dates and continue to blitz until the mixture starts coming together
– Add the lemon juice and blitz for another 20 seconds
– Take a 17 cm round cake tin and press the mixture firmly into the base of the tin using a spatula or the back of a spoon. I also lined the cake tin with a piece of baking paper
– Put into the fridge

Raspberry sauce

Put raspberries and maple syrup into your food processor or blender and blitz until smooth. Fill into a bowl or small jug and set aside.

Cake filling

– Put the cashews, maple syrup, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice into your blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.
– Add the coconut oil and ground turmeric and mix for another 20-30 seconds until everything is well combined.
– Transfer the cashew lemon mixture into a large bowl and add the raspberry sauce leaving 2-3 tablespoons for the swirl!
– Gently fold the mixture to create a ripple effect using a spatula. Don’t over mix it.
– Pour the mixture into the cake tin, smooth out and tap on your work surface to release any air bubbles.
– Add the leftover raspberry sauce on to the top of the mixture and using a spatula make a large swirl print on the top of the cake starting from the outside and working towards the centre of the cake whilst turning the cake tin gently.
– Freeze the cake for at least 2 hours (or overnight)

I took my cake out about 10 minutes before serving and decorated it with the raspberries, lemon zest and pistachios.

The cake is really deliciously refreshing and not at all sweet. Definitely one I will be making again.