Almost Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

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Raw sweets are such a flavor explosion, especially the chocolate ones like this Almost Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cake. As decadent and rich as conventionally made ones, and I’d say, even richer.

This filling has such a smooth, rich and creamy texture that melts in your mouth, and the base is so delicious that you could eat it by itself as a treat.
It is not complicated at all to make. You just need to do two simple things in advance and then when you get to making it, it shouldn’t take more then half an hour to whip it up. Than all you have to do is wait till it sets (that’s probably the hardest part:-) before you can dig in!

It is made out of two parts: the base with roasted hazelnuts, raw cacao powder, coconut oil and maple syrup; and the creamy filling with cashew nuts, raw cocoa, agave or maple syrup and coconut oil. So let’s begin with the recipe.
First you have to roast the hazelnuts. Put them in the oven and roast for about 15-20 minutes on 150 celsius, until the skin is cracked and the nuts begin to show some color. Now the skin should fall off easily. The best way to remove the skins is to wrap them in a clean cloth and rub until the skins come off. Leave them to cool. I always roast a larger quantity then I need for the recipe and save the rest in a tightly closed jar for snacking or use in other recipes.

If you want to keep the cake completely raw, just sub the hazelnuts with raw almonds.

Second prep step is soaking the cashews. This will make them really soft for blending and you’ll get super smooth rich cream. Soak the nuts in lots of water with a pinch of salt overnight, or at least for 3 hours. Then wash thoroughly and they’re ready for use in recipe.

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Ingredients

For 25cm round pan

Base:
2 cups roasted hazelnuts
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla powder
2 pinches of salt
1 cup raw cocoa powder

Filling:
2 cups cashew nuts, soaked and rinsed
1/2-2/3 cup water
1/2 cup coconut oil
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup agave syrup or maple syrup
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Method

1. Grind the hazelnuts in food processor
2. Add vanilla powder, salt, maple syrup and coconut oil. Continue processing
3. Add cocoa powder and process until the sticky dough is formed. I like keeping it a bit crunchy, with small bits of hazelnuts. No need to get it to be completely smooth
4. Press into a pan, lined with parchment paper
5. Now prepare the filling: put the cashews with water, agave syrup, vanilla and salt in the blender and blend until smooth
6. Then add coconut oil and cocoa powder
7. Continue blending until smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a little bit of water. Feel free to add more vanilla, cocoa or syrup if you want to.
8. Pour the filling on the shaped base and smooth on the top. You can decorate it with some ground hazelnuts (or almonds)
9. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. I recommend, overnight if possible. It doesn’t need to be put in a freezer, but if you’re in a hurry, you can speed things up that way.

The cake is quite low, as you can see in the pictures, but since it’s so rich and filling, I think it should be served in small pieces. But if you want to, feel free to make the double filling.

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That’s it guys 🙂 Easy peasy!
My peeps absolutely love it, as do I, and everybody else who tasted it too, they actually had no clue that it was a healthy treat, until I told them:-)
I have many other sweets and cakes to share with you, baked and raw, so stay tuned for the ones to come…