I came across this beautiful recipe from naturopath and nutritionist Renee Leonard-Stainton earlier in the week and it’s simply too good not to share. This dessert is gluten-free, dairy-free and doesn’t contain any refined sugar – so that makes it a winner in my house! The combination of honey, coconut and vanilla bean makes for a mouth watering treat the whole family will love.
Note: This recipe is by Renee Leonard-Stainton via www.reneenaturally.com – for more incredibly delicious raw recipes and treats follow Renee’s blog or find her online at @reneenaturally.
Ingredients:
Cake
3 cups almond meal
2 cups of rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1 1/2 cups liquid honey
6 free-range eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla essence
2 cups of coconut milk
Coconut & Vanilla Bean Frosting
3 cans coconut milk
½ cup agar flakes
Large pinch sea salt
½ cup of liquid honey
1 vanilla bean
1 ½ tablespoons arrowroot
2 tablespoons filtered water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Method:
For the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake tin.
2. In a bowl, combine almond meal, rice flour, tapioca, baking powder & salt.
3. In a mixer, beat coconut oil, honey & vanilla until light & fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Pour in coconut milk & stir.
5. Add combined flour mixture into the wet mixture until blended.
6. Pour into cake tin & bake for 35 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean & cake is lightly golden on top.
7. Remove from the tin after about 10 minutes & let cool. Once cooled, take a long knife and slice the cake in the middle, to make two.
For the frosting:
8. Place coconut milk, agar flakes, salt & honey in a medium size saucepan.
9. Cut vanilla bean in half length ways and remove seeds using the tip of a small knife. Place seeds & pod into saucepan. Whisk everything together, place over high heat & bring to a boil, whisking every minute or so.
10. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until agar flakes have completely dissolved.
11. Mix arrowroot with water & slowly pour into coconut mixture, whisking constantly.
12. Raise heat & continue whisking until mixture begins to boil again. Remove from heat, remove vanilla bean & stir in vanilla extract. Pour into a bowl & once it’s stopped steaming place in the fridge & chill until completely set (about 2 hours).
13. Mixture will be hard, use a metal spoon to scoop into food processor & blend until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides & blend again.
14. Thickly frost the top of the bottom half of the cake. Use the remaining mixture to spread the frosting on the top of the cake.
Enjoy!
. . . . .
Yours in Health,
Jennifer Barham-Floreani
(Bach. Chiropractic, Bach. App Clinical Science
Registered internationally, no longer practicing as a chiropractor in Australia.)
