Or for you. You definitely don’t have to be a mom to enjoy this cake.
But I made it for my mom’s birthday and it was a hit!
Now, this cake is not only vegan, organic, and gluten-free, it’s also raw!
I remember when I first made my grandmother a birthday cake a few years ago. I had found a recipe for an apricot pie online and was so excited to make it for her!
But… it was gross. My little cousin’s friend enjoyed it – but he was the only one. And it wasn’t even her birthday so… fail.
Fast forward 8 years (yikes) and behold – I’ve now successfully made a vegan, organic, gluten-free, raw and delicious birthday cake. A cake that people actually enjoy!
And I am, might I add, the only vegan, whole-foods eater in my family. So when people who consume diet Coke and Costco muffins like no tomorrow actually enjoy my raw baking, this sentiment becomes even more valuable.
Here’s the recipe so you can make it and keep your family happy too.
Crust
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup pitted and coarsely chopped dates
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
Mousse (I actually didn’t write down the recipe I used! However – I did find this one by Matters of the Belly, and it looks the same as mine. I’ve adjusted it slightly because I used coconut sugar and wanted this recipe to reflect that. This is the only recipe I could find that looks like mine. Also, I feel most recipes don’t call for enough cocoa powder, however, you can adjust the sweetness to your liking!)
Triple the following amounts!
1 large ripe avocado (about 250g net, after pitting & peeling)
4 heaped tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp vanilla bean extract
3 tbsp coconut sugar
3 tbsp water
A pinch of fine Himalayan salt
Fresh berries and/or crushed nuts for serving (optional)
Chopped up chocolate (NOT optional. I didn’t want to make a huge plug for our Baking Chocolate… but adding chopped chocolate seriously takes things to another level.)
Method
1) In a food processor, pulse oats until a coarse flour forms.
2) Add cinnamon and Himalayan salt. Pulse a few more times.
3) Add chopped dates. Pulse, pulse, pulse until a nice, amalgamated ball forms.
4) Take crust out of food processor and, press into a lined springform pan (mine was a 6-incher).
5) Add all ingredients for the mousse into your now empty food processor and whirl away! Don’t forget to scrape down the sides and taste test. Does it need more salt? Vanilla? Cocoa? See how you feel add away.
6) Pour your mousse onto the crust in the pan. Smooth out. Lift the pan an inch or two above your counter and drop it straight down- this will help to take out any bubbles!
7) Set in fridge for at least 4 hours.
8) Once set, take it out. Carefully remove the sides of the springform pan, decorate with berries, and chopped chocolate pieces (remember – not optional!) The chocolate bits really take the texture to the next level.
I surprised my mom by biking to where she goes for her (almost) daily morning walk- with the cake!
I didn’t tell her and she was so surprised! And she deserves to be surprised – she’s actually the best.
This cake travelled surprisingly well, although if you do plan on taking it somewhere, keep the cake in the springform pan and only remove it once you have reached your final destination.
Enjoy, Zimtees!
Emma