Chocolate Banana Cake with Chocolate Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting and Salted Chocolate Swirls

If it looks like cake and tastes like cake, is it possible it's not really cake? The ingredient list for this deliciously moist and fluffy cake look more like the ingredients for an embellished bowl of oatmeal. But lo and behold, you put the ingredients together in just the right order, pop 'em in the oven, et voilà, Cake! This recipe is vegan, refined sugar free, and can easily be gluten free. Enjoy!

Cake 

3/4 cups oatmeal

2 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup cacao powder

1/2 cup coconut sugar 

1/2 cup coconut oil 

1/4 cup shredded coconut

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Frosting 

1 cup raw cashews - soaked overnight

1 cup pitted dates - soaked overnight 

1/2 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup almond milk - plus more as needed 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Icing

1/4 cup cacao powder

2 tablespoons coconut oil (you might need less if your coconut oil is in liquid form)

2 tablespoons + additional agave if needed to reach icing consistency 
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Blend the oatmeal and coconut in the blender until it is the consistency of flour.  Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in cacao powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Blend the bananas and coconut sugar in the blender until smooth. Add coconut oil and blend until coconut oil is fully dissolved and incorporated. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Place in greased cake pans or muffin tins, and bake until the center of the cake or cupcake is firm and springy to touch. 

To prepare the frosting, blend the soaked cashews, dates, almond milk, and vanilla in the blender until smooth. Sift the cacao powder into the frosting and whisk until smooth and fluffy. 

For the icing, sift the cacao powder into a bowl, stir in the coconut oil and agave until smooth and glossy. 

When the cake or cupcakes are cool, frost and decorate with icing. Get ready for a cacao rush!

Popeye's Peanut Butter Fudge Mud Pie

Yes, as the name implies, there is spinach in it, and let me tell you, it tastes like a vegan dream! For many years I have contemplated writing a dessert cookbook entitled Eat Your Vegetables, highlighting the many wonderful sweets you can make with veggies. If and when I do, this hottie will be on the centerfold (you know...if cookbooks had centerfolds...).

Crust 

1 cup gluten free oatmeal

1/2 cup cacao powder

1/4 cup shredded coconut 

1/4 cup agave 

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon salt 

Nicecream

6 large bananas 

2 cups spinach 

1 cup creamy peanut butter 

1/4 cup almond milk 

1/4 cup agave 

Peanut butter fudge 

1/2 cup coconut cream

1/4 cup cacao

2 tablespoons agave

1 tablespoon peanut butter 

Chocolate ganache 

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup agave

1/2 cup cacao 

Blend oatmeal, coconut, salt, and cacao in blender until mixture is finely ground. Stir in agave and coconut oil. Roll into a ball and press into parchment lined springboard pan. Place in the freezer for an hour. 

Place all nicecream ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour half of the batter onto the crust and freeze until firm to touch, about an hour. 

While waiting, make the peanut butter fudge by melting the coconut oil and peanut butter over a double broiler filled with hot water. Add agave and cacao, stirring until smooth. Spread evenly onto the first layer of nicecream and freeze for 30 minutes. Pour on second layer of nicecream and freeze for an additional hour. 

To prepare chocolate ganache, melt the coconut oil in a double broiler over hot water, stir in agave and cacao, mixing until smooth and glossy. 

Remove mud pie from freezer and take out of springboard pan. Gently peel away parchment paper. Pour ganache over the cake, smoothing ganache onto the sides of the cake with a rubber spatula. Ganache will harden almost instantly, so work fast. Serve and enjoy! 

Grapefruit Brûlée With Pomegranate Seeds

When I was a young girl, I traveled with my parents throughout the San Juan Islands in Washington State. One of the inns that we stayed at served grapefruit brulé. I had not been a fan of grapefruit up until that point in my life, but the combination of the tart and juicy grapefruit with the sweet and slightly burnt caramelized sugar immediately won me over. The memory of that incredible taste has been with me since. My desire to recreate it in my adult life has been dampened by my hesitation to douse a perfectly healthy grapefruit in refined sugar. Enter coconut sugar. This incredible natural sweetener, made from the nectar of coconut blossoms, is a delicious sugar alternative that caramelizes beautifully. The tart and crunchy addition of pomegranate seeds makes this dish a breakfast feast for the eyes and palate.

Serves 4
2 Grapefruits
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

Cut the grapefruits in half. Trace the natural sections of the grapefruit with a knife to ease the eventual eating process. Sprinkle generously with coconut sugar and place in the oven under the broiler. Watch closely. Remove as soon as coconut sugar begins to bubble. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and serve. Enjoy!

Haystack Cookies

These yummy little nummies are raw, vegan, refined sugar-free, gluten-free, and so easy to make. Bet you can't eat just one!

Yields 10 cookies
1 cup gluten-free oatmeal
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
pinch salt

Melt coconut oil in double broiler over hot water. Mix in cacao, agave, and salt, stirring until mixture is smooth and glassy. Add oatmeal, almonds, and coconut, stirring until ingredients are evenly coated. Drop heaping tablespoons onto parchment paper and place in the fridge for one hour. Enjoy with a tall, cold glass of your favorite plant-based milk! 

Ambrosia Ice Dream

Ambrosia, even the name sounds enticing and divine. Used to reference the nectar or foodstuff of the gods in ancient Greek Mythology and thought to render its partakers immortal, Ambrosia is a fitting name for this timeless treat. Raw, vegan, and refined sugar free, this otherworldly dessert easily falls into the category of a divine exhalation from the earth. Enjoy!

Serves 4

2 cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 12 hours)

3/4 cups pitted dates

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup chopped pineapple 

1/3 cup chopped oranges

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large oranges, cut in half and scooped clean (use the fruit for the 1/2 chopped oranges, and if possible part of the 1/4 cup orange juice) 

Place cashews, dates, 1/2 cup coconut milk and juices in a blender and blend on high until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you have an ice cream maker, stir in remaining ingredients and place in ice cream maker. If you do not have an ice cream maker, place mixture in ice cube trays and freeze. When frozen through, remove from ice cube trays and blend on high with additional 1/2 cup coconut milk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Once you have your soft serve ice cream, spoon into orange halves and place in freezer for an additional 10-15 minutes to set. Sprinkle with coconut and enjoy! 

Coconut Pecan Chocolate Bark

Ever since I saw the movie Chocolate, I have been mesmerized by the seductive power of chocolate. This completely raw and vegan recipe allows you to play with this power without the risk of burning the temperamental cacao. Refined sugar free and filled with healthy fats, this recipe has the added benefit of being good for you. Enjoy!

1/3 cup cacao
1/3 cup raw coconut oil
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons chopped raw pecans

Place a ceramic bowl in a bowl of hot water. Place the coconut oil in the ceramic bowl and allow to melt. Add coconut sugar to melted coconut oil, stirring until dissolved. Add cacao powder and stir until mixture is smooth. Stir in one tablespoon coconut. Pour into parchment lined 5"x9" loaf pan or chocolate mold if you have. Sprinkle with pecans and remaining coconut. Place in the refrigerator until set, about one hour. Remove from refrigerator and cut into wedges with a sharp knife. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.