A silky smooth Raw Black Forest Slice - made without gluten, dairy or refined sugars. This slice has a sneaky hint of espresso which is such a lovely compliment to the cherries.
Winter needed a little cheering up, so I've decided to share this Raw Black Forest Slice recipe today.
It's a healthier version of your traditional Black Forest Cake (no refined flours or sugars), with a sneaky espresso twist. The final texture of the layers is quite mousse like - incredibly yummy.
[bctt tweet="Raw Black Forest Slice, with an espresso twist. A divine, mousse-like cake. GF, V, recipe here."]
Frozen and thawed cherries or berries will work just fine if you don't have any available fresh. Oats in place of the cashews in the base make for a slightly lighter option.
Big, showy blooms skewered into the top look amazing if you're taking this to a special occasion, or keep it simple with a little grated, dark plant based chocolate.
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Raw Black Forest Slice
Ingredients
BASE:
- ¾ cup cashews
- ¾ cup coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 8 Medjool dates pitted
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
FILLING:
- 2 cups cashews soaked in water for 8 hours
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon psyllium husks
FLAVOURING:
- 3 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons espresso
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Handful of black cherries pitted
TO DECORATE:
- Sifted cacao powder
- Dark chocolate shavings
- Red or black roses
Instructions
BASE:
- Add the cashews and coconut flakes to a food processor, and pulse till well crumbled.
- Add the cacao, salt and coconut oil and pulse again.
- Add the dates, one at a time, while the motor is still running. If they are particularly dry, soak them first in a little water before you use them. Keep the motor going till a nice dough has formed.
- Transfer the dough to an 8 inch square cake tin, lined with baking paper, and flatten the surface with the back of a spoon.
FILLING:
- If your coconut oil or butter is firm, place them in a glass jug and stand them over a bowl of hot water to soften to a liquid.
- Add the coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and psyllium husks to a blender and whiz to combine.
- Drain the cashews, then add them to the blender. Blend till creamy.
- Remove half of this mixture and set aside – this will be your white, cherry layer.
- Add the cacao powder and espresso to the blender and blend till smooth – this is now your chocolate/espresso layer.
- Spread this perfectly over the base you prepared. Set in the freezer.
- Pop the white layer back into the (clean) blender with the lemon juice and give it a quick blitz.
- Once the chocolate espresso layer has set, remove from the freezer and scatter cherries over the top. Pour the white layer over and smooth out the surface. Place in the freezer to set.
- Cut into equal sized rectangles to serve. Dust with cacao powder and dark chocolate shavings, and skewer flowers into the top for decoration.
Tyrese Carey
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4452f998e6d13f9097aaba8b6da920ece4058f8e3743bf9a2e0c82806c11742a.jpg
Hi Lauren,
This was an absolutely delish and gorgeous recipe!!! Made it for a friend's engagement party. Thank YOU!
Bri
Lauren, THANK YOU!
This was the most incredibly delicious and creamy, mousse like, recipe I've made in a long time - as you promised it would be!
I am already planning to make it a second time to take to a girly catch up in a couple of days time... it is ahhhhmazing!
There was just one thing I was't sure about - whether or not to serve frozen!
I ended up keeping in refrigerator, and although cherries were a bit ho-hum once defrosted, the rest was still divine! I will try without cherries next time, rather just add some on top as a decoration before cutting.
Wishing you all the best in the nominations. You have my vote! Thanks again! 🙂
Bri. x
Ascension Kitchen
Hi Bri! Thank you for the kind words 🙂 I agree - fresh cherries/berries are always nicer - sometimes a sprinkle of freeze dried berry powder on top is nice as an alternative, I like the brand Fresh As http://www.fresh-as.com/retail/ I also usually keep the slice in the freezer just till set, then leave it in the fridge - and since its a lighter texture, tend to serve it right away rather than leave in the fridge for a long period of time. Thank you again for the vote - so awesome! L.x