This raw cake is summer in a mouthful - fresh mango and passionfruit with a hint of papaya, coconut and lime. Top with a drizzle of pure fruit purée and freshly cut strawberries with mint.
I’m sure I mentioned in my last post, that I’ve become obsessed with gardening lately. Aside from the usual vegetables and herbs, my partner and I bought two little passionfruit vines. We named them after ourselves (Lauren and Stipe), and planted them side by side. It’s been a bit of a competition to see whose thrives the most. I secretly sneak out and tell mine I love it in the afternoons. Well, this morning we went out to check on them, and it appears that little Stipe has spread his feelers out and twirled his vines all over Lauren. Talk about plants imitating life! Not even the plant version can keep his mits to himself!
Anyway, they aren’t bearing any fruit yet, but they did inspire me to create this recipe. A girlfriend asked me to bring one of my specialty raw desserts to her Christmas party, and when I saw my little passionfruit babies this morning, I thought there could be nothing better than a spoonful of summer in your mouth.
And so, I scribbled down all the summery yumness I could think of, and threw it together in a cake. Lime, coconut, mango, passionfruit, papaya. It turned out absolutely divine. Decorate it with some sliced strawberries, mint, coloured roses and papaya slices and it's a Christmas winner.
[bctt tweet="Celebrate Summer with this Raw Mango and Passionfruit Cake."]
I always say, that delicious treats like this are a conversation starter. It’s a way to start talking about foods that are healthy and nourish your body, about foods that are gentle on the earth, and about a more compassionate way of eating.
While I’m such a believer in the plant-based lifestyle, I don’t like to take the approach of preaching in order to enact change. However, lately, I’ve seen so many heart wrenching videos on the suffering of animals pop up in my social news feeds. I’ve been in a really good groove with my meditation practice recently, so I laid this out there as something to think over. How can I make a difference, how can I enact change when there is so much suffering? After a while, the most beautiful yet unexpected metaphor popped into my mind. A pearly white flower, blooming over and over and over again, then the words,
First, you must bloom.
Ah, the universe makes me smile sometimes. I took this to mean, that you can make a difference just by being yourself. By expressing your truth, and by leading by example. Just be you in all your wonderfulness and shine, and you will inspire others. I’m sure this sentiment can be applied to any and everyone really. But its simplicity is just beautiful.
So yes, a piece of cake can make a positive change in the world. Who would have thought?
There’s a revolution that needs to happen and it starts from inside each one of us. We need to wake up and fall in love with the Earth. Our personal & collective happiness & survival depends on it.
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Raw Mango and Passionfruit Cake
Ingredients
Base:
- 1¼ cups coconut flakes
- ¾ cup rolled oats almonds or cashews as a substitute
- 8 soft Medjool dates pitted (mine came to 133g)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil liquefied
- Zest of 1 lime
- Pinch of coarse sea salt
Filling:
- 2½ cups cashews soaked in water for 2 hours then drained*
- ½ cup lime juice
- ¾ cup rice malt syrup or preferred liquid sweetener (start with half a cup - then add more to taste, this really depends on the sweetness of your fruit)
- 1½ cups fresh mango pack the cups super tightly or use heaped cups
- ¼ cup fresh passionfruit pulp
- ½ cup coconut oil liquefied
- 2 tablespoons cacao butter liquefied
- Pinch of coarse sea salt*The longer you soak the cashews the softer and easier they are to blend, 2 hours in the minimum, you can soak up to 8 hours.
Topping:
- Fresh mango papaya, passionfruit
Instructions
Base:
- Blitz the coconut flakes, oats, lime zest and sea salt in a food processor till crumbly, then add the dates one by one as the motor is running, followed by the coconut oil. Pulse till the dates have blended in and the mixture holds its shape when pressed together.
- Line the base of a 9 inch cake tin (spring-form) with baking paper, and press the base mixture evenly into the bottom. Set aside.
Filling:
- In a large, high powered blender, blend the drained cashews with the lime juice and rice malt.
- Add all other ingredients and blend till smooth – you will have to stop to scrape the edges as you go. Pour over the base once done.
- To make the topping, blend any leftover fruit (I added papaya to the mix and it was delicious) then use a spoon to dollop it over the surface of the cake. Bang the cake on a hard surface to flatten out and set in the freezer. Let thaw a little before serving to bring out the taste.
Nutrition
If you make and enjoy this recipe, please leave a rating!
LIKE THIS POST?
Sign up to my newsletter list below for weekly healthy, plant-based recipes and nutrition articles. And if you want to give back and really make my day, leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!
Finally, you can share this recipe on facebook or via Instagram, or pin it for later. If you try it out, make sure you tag me @ascensionkitchen and #ascensionkitchen so I can see your creations. Thank you!
alessandra froes
Is it possible make half recipe only? Thanks!
Jessica Tabone
Hi just wondering if i can sub out cacoa butter with another ingredient as my local supermarkets and health stores dont stock it 🙂
Ascension Kitchen
Hi Jessica, you can use coconut oil instead. The cacao butter lends a subtle white chocolate taste and is nice and solid at room temp so helps keep it firm, but coconut oil is fine as an alternative. Have fun!
Anja
Hi Lauren,
Do you think it would be ok to make this cake several days in advance? And if so, would you suggest keeping it in the freezer or fridge until needed? (Wondering if leaving it in the freezer would risk it getting covered in icicles.) Thanks in advance!
Lauren Glucina
Yes absolutely - you can keep it in the freezer in the cake tin with a little bit of plastic wrap over the top, it will get a few icy bits but they will thaw out and you won't even notice them. It won't keep as long in the fridge. Lx
Anja
That's great to know, thanks Lauren! I'm hoping to make it in advance for Christmas day. Fingers crossed I'm able to make it look half as gorgeous as yours. One last question, how long would you suggest I should allow for it to thaw prior to serving it after removing it from the freezer? Or would you recommend placing it in the fridge the night prior?
Lauren Glucina
Of course you will - flowers on top will make it look amazing. I would suggest keeping it in the freezer overnight and take it out maybe an hour before serving - depends on how hot a day it is really, if it starts to soften too quickly just pop it back in the fridge. Have a great Chrissy x
Anja
Thanks so much for your reply Lauren. Have yourself a lovely Christmas too! xx
Amy Ramminger
Also, anyone tried doing it without any sweetner? Mangos are so sweet 😊
Lauren Glucina
Hi Amy, using frozen mango would be fine, perhaps thaw it a little first if its particularly icy. And yes the added sweetener is dependant on the fruit and on your own tastes so you could always add it in at the very end, hope you enjoy 🙂 L
Amy Ramminger
Thank you so much for the reply! I'm just about to get started and was worried about using frozen 😊
Amy Ramminger
Frozen mango worked great!!! Thawing was a great suggestion. I didn't use a sweetner either and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Lauren Glucina
Amazing! Go you! xx
Amy Ramminger
Anyone try using frozen mango? I have so much of it I want to use.
Kamina Nagel
This cake is SO YUMMY! It's also the first raw cake I've ever 'baked' - and I had so much fun creating it. I've been following your blog for years and have always wanted to make one but have never gotten around to it. Yesterday I finally bought a food processor and this is the first thing I made when I got home. Thank you for creating such a gorgeous cake that is so simple to make but so so delicious. It's literally summer in a bite. Love, Kamina
Lauren Glucina
Kamina - yay! I'm so excited you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for sharing that with me xx
Hannah Phoebe Bowen
Wow Lauren, what a beautiful post. I'm in the northern hemisphere and deep in winter so I wasn't even gonna read this post when the title popped up (I can't do tropical fruit in winter and just made a batch of your caramel bars and raw chic-mesquite doughnuts from the app - both delicious comfort food :D) anyway I'm so glad I did because your words are just lovely. I'm so glad you are blooming. And even your plants are sharing the love. I've had over two years of pure joy from your blog so sending some big love back your way xxxx
Lauren Glucina
Hi Hannah, thank you so much for being so generous with your kind words, I'm honoured that you've been reading my recipes and words for so long! Sending love and appreciation back at you x