WALNUT CHOCOLATE CAKE with SWEET POTATO FROSTING

Do you like moist, dense brownies? Do you like creamy, cinnamon-y sweet potato or pumpkin pie? Then I bring good news with me today, friend. This recipe is for you. It's both those magical, wondrous foods combined into one cake. Hellooo.

RAW VEGAN HERB-INFUSED SPECIAL BROWNIES

Look at my GIFs!!! 

I'm gonna start off by saying you can use whatever herb you like to infuse these brownies with... I certainly have my favourite. You can make them special or "special" - if you catch my drift - it's really up to you, as always. I am sure that mint, basil or rosemary would all taste great. Hehehe. 

I've made many raw brownie recipes before but this one turned out uniquely delicious, most likely due to the undertones of infused coconut oil. That's right, kids. Today we will be infusing coconut oil with herbs! *WOAH SIDE NOTE I JUST HEARD MAJOR THUNDER OUTSIDE THE WINDOW*

Okay I'm back. Just to note: you strict raw foodies will be mad at me for calling these 100% raw because infusing the coconut oil requires mixing it with boiling water and letting it simmer for a few hours. But can we please all chill and understand that coconut oil and boiling water meeting is not the end of the world? Still mega healthy. The plan for this batch of raw brownies involves friends and anime movies. Oh and a record player. It's gonna be a good night. Let's get unbaked!

raw vegan special brownies

brownies:

3/4 cup rolled oats (or hemp seeds)

3/4 cup walnuts

1 cup dates

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 heaping tablespoons Jump Up and Go Go (or cacao powder) 

Pinch of salt (optional) 

3-4 tablespoons coconut oil infused with herbs of your choosing (recipe below) 

glaze:
1 tablespoon each of almond butter, maple syrup and cacao powder

To make the herb-infused coconut oil: bring a small pot of water to boil; add in 3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil, along with however much of your dried herbs you like. Lower the temperature to simmer and let the herbs and coconut oil get to know each other for 2-6 hours, but check frequently to add water as needed (because it will evaporate). Once you want to take it off the heat, let the water evaporate completely, then let the mixture cool. Strain, disgardng the herbs and keeping the liquid coconut oil (which will now be greenish). Now it's ready to use! Let's get funky! 

To make the brownies: pulse the oats and walnuts in your food processor until they become a powder. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it all sticks together and tastes OUTTA DIS WORLD. Press into a lined baking dish and put in the fridge to set for a few hours. Spread on your glaze and munch munch munch. 

fruit + coconut ice cream cake with brownie crust

I am really loving coconut milk and frozen fruit as combination ingredients lately. If you're getting tired of it - I am sorry. But no need to fret, because summer is quickly approaching and she promises a fresh, local, always-changing variety of new produce each week at the farmers market. I am excited to be inspired every Saturday by the organic options available to make new raw food creations for myself, my family, friends, and you, of course! But for now - I must stick with frozen fruit, and coconut milk is an excellent pairing.

Thus, an ice cream dome cake appears. 

This recipe is very similar to my last one (fruit popsicles with coconut milk) but I added bananas to the ice cream part because... well, bananas. I ended up having extra room on the bottom of the cake so I improvised and added a brownie crust. It was a good idea. FACT: brownies are always a good idea. I also discovered that if you ever have extra raw brownie mix and you mix it with banana slices, your world will be turned upside down and angels will sing. 

True story. 

As with all my ice cream cake recipes - be patient and let your cake slices thaw before eating, it is so much better. Not only will you skip the potential numerous brain freezes, but the cake will also become creamier and you'll be able to taste the flavours more. Just for your information, this will be my last recipe for a little while because I have my final exams coming up, and I also have a bit of a project I am working on which I may or may not eventually tell you about. Much love. 

Stay cool and fruity. 

fruit + coconut ice cream cake with brownie crust:

Ice cream:

400 ml fresh raw coconut milk (or 1 can of store-bought) 

1/4 cup raw cane sugar (or preferred sweetener, to taste)

1 banana

Brownie crust:

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup raw oats (or buckwheat groats for a gluten-free version)

2/3 cup dates

2 tablespoons cacao powder

Fruit:

Whatever fresh or frozen you have or like, about 2 cups

Prepare the cake vessel: find a bowl that can hold about 6 cups, or use a small dome cake pan and line it with plastic wrap, tin foil or whatever. I used a dome shaped colander and plastic wrap, it worked fine. Alternatively  you can just make this using a normal cake pan. Line the sides of the pan or bowl with your chosen fruit. 

To make the ice cream: blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into your pan or bowl and put in the freezer until solid, about 3 or 4 hours. 

To make the brownie crust: put the walnuts, oats and cacao in your food processor and pulse until they become a flour. Add the dates and process until it starts to stick together. Press onto the "top" of your ice cream cake (it will become the bottom when you flip it later). Put in the fridge for about an hour to let everything set. Then carefully flip your cake onto a plate and take off your lining - voila! Decorate as you wish, slice, and let thaw before eating. 

raw brownies with berry + banana sorbet

These are like a fruit heaven with chocolate gates. That was my first thought as I bit into one anyways. I don't make sense so maybe you shouldn't listen to me. At the same time... I made this for you so maybe you SHOULD. Who doesn't want creamy berry and banana sorbet lovingly smooshed between two raw brownies? Is "smooshed" a word? Do I know? What is the meaning of life? Did I brush my teeth this morning?

You may have noticed I've been using a lot of frozen fruit in my recipes lately and that's because I keep forgetting to go grocery shopping for fresh produce. But I am actually doing just fine - drinking a lot of smoothies, basically. And I mean, clearly frozen fruit is awesome because it IS fruit. As I was washing dishes I realized that "fit" is included in "fruit". Fruit = fit! Hah... see what I did there? Why so many questions in this post? Did YOU brush your teeth today? 

I will be enjoying these with my girlfriend later tonight, while we watch Pocahontas. Can we get any cooler? I have an answer this time: no, we cannot. Watching 90's Disney movies and eating this recipe is the highest possible level of cool. Now you know. So get you beautiful bum in the kitchen and get un-cooking.

You're gonna have a bit of extra sorbet but this is NOT a bad thing; make it into a smoothie or eat it up with a spoon. Oh, yes.

raw brownie berry sorbet towers: makes two towers

Brownies:
1/2 cup raw nuts or oats
1/2 cup raisins or dates
2 tablespoon hemp seeds
2-3 tablespoons cacao powder
Pinch of cinnamon and chili powder 

Sorbet:
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
3 tablespoon maple syrup or other liquid like water or vegan milk

To make the brownies: pulse the walnuts, hemp seeds and cacao in your food processor until they become a rough flour, then add the raisins, cinnamon and chili and process until it sticks together in a rough dough. Press into circles with a cookie cutter and put in the fridge or freezer until solid (about 30 minutes). 

Make the sorbet: SEPARATELY blend the banana, strawberries and blueberries until smooth like sorbet, adding 1 tablespoon of maple syrup to each, if you want to. This simply makes it creamier and sweeter. It doesn't NEED the extra sweetness so you could add water or vegan milk instead. Keep in the freezer until you are ready to make the towers. 

Assembly: spread the different sorbets onto your base brownie as you like, then top each one off with another brownie. Sprinkle with berries, coconut, cacao nibs and whatever else you like. Eat right away or keep in the freezer. Enjoy!