Raw Nutella Cake

Raw Nutella Cake – Such a rich and decadent treat with melt-in-your-mouth consistency, gluten free and refined sugar free, a real healthy bomb.

Raw sweets are such a flavor explosion, especially the chocolate ones like this one. As decadent and rich as conventionally made ones, and I’d say, even richer. The 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. A note here…feel free to use it to make bliss balls – so good!!

It’s such an easy treat too, and your guests will be amazed. 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 all up. Than all you have to do is wait till it sets before you can dig in! That’s probably the hardest part hahah 🙂

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.

Second prep step is soaking the cashews, dates and buckwheat. This will make them really soft for processing/blending. Chop the dates. Then soak everything separately in water with a pinch of salt for 3 hours or so. Then wash the cashews and buckwheat thoroughly and they’re all set for use in the recipe. Drain the dates saving the water for blending.

I added some natural flavour enhancers: espresso coffee powder and cinnamon that enhance the chocolate flavour if used moderately. They shouldn’t overpower the chocolate, just deepen the taste.

I also added Maca powder. A superfood of the Ancient Peruvians. It raises the energy levels and vitality and also helps our body balance the hormones. And it adds kind of caramel-y flavour. It is totally optional in the recipe so feel free to omit it.

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Ingredients

Prep time: 30 min plus 3 hours for refrigerating
Yields: 10 pieces / 18 cm round spring cake form

Base:
1 cup dates
1 cup roasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup soaked raw buckwheat groats
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
pinch of Himalayan salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp Maca powder (optional)

Filling:
1 cup cashew nuts, soaked and rinsed
1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts
1 cup water (from soaking the dates)
1/2 cup melted cocoa butter
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp espresso coffee powder
pinch of Himalayan salt
1 tsp Maca powder (optional)
4 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Top Layer:
1/2 cup cashews, soaked and rinsed
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp maple or agave syrup
4 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup water
cinnamon to taste
pinch of Himalayan salt

Method

1. Grind the hazelnuts in food processor
2. Add rinsed buckwheat, drained dates, salt, maca (if using) and vanilla powder and melted 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. First melt the cocoa butter on top of boiling water. It melts really quickly, just like coconut oil. Then put all the ingredients, besides cocoa butter and cocoa powder, in the blender and blend until smooth. I suggest that you reserve just a little bit of water and add it all if needed.
6. Next add cocoa butter 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. Place it into a freezer until you prepare the top layer.
9. For the top layer just blend all the ingredients until very smooth. Also feel free to adjust to taste adding more cocoa or sweeter. Pour on top of slightly set filling and 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.

To make these chocolate glazed strawberries, simply dip them in the raw chocolate sauce.
Mix 2 tbsp melted coconut oil with 4 tbsp cocoa powder and 2 tbsp agave or maple syrup.
Use the same sauce to decorate the cake 🙂
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There you go 🙂 Hope you enjoy this one and if you like what I share on my blog, you can subscribe to the updates and if you happen to try these and even take pictures tag them #deliciousandhealthybymaya on Instagram so I can find you. I would love to hear from you 🙂

Much love,
Maja xx