SPICED CARROT CAKE with CASHEW YOGURT FROSTING

Hello! I have returned after a loooong hiatus! I've just been, you know, getting through this global pandemic and trying to take care of myself. These past few weeks have been really good for me, though, and I feel myself starting to get inspired again. The skies are opening up, and so is my spirit. So, there's no better a time than now to share a wonderful recipe I have been working on.

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.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES with BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

These are happy cupcakes. 

The ingredients are good for you in every way. They are healthy, wholesome, delicious and easy to make. They are lovely to look at, and fun to share. They are a mini celebrations of all that is good in this world! 

ICE CREAM TARTS with CHOCOLATE SAUCE & PECANS

 When I started making this recipe this morning my aim was to revamp one of my first ones ever (from 2011 when I started da blog). But I just realized that this turned into an almost exact replica of my immediately previous recipe, with the addition of a tart crust. Oops. Oh well! Don't cry over repeated ice cream + chocolate recipes, I always say. Actually that is the first time I've ever said that yet now I think it should be stated more often. I do eat banana ice cream and chocolate nearly every day, and positive reminders are always... positive. Ah, I just started the new semester today so my brain is already overworked. Thank goodness no one comes here for the prose. I know you only love me for my ice cream recipes and it's OOOKAY. I love you right back.

CASHEW CREAM CAKE with FRESH JUICY SWIRLS

I wasn't sure what title to give this recipe, because it's really awesome and delicious, but how do I get across the gist of it in one name? I can't call it: raw vegan cheesecake with swirls dyed by beet and carrot juice. No one would click that. Well, almost no one. I would click it. That sounds cool to me. But we are getting off track. I will explain the recipe now.

I had a vision of this... probably in a dream or something. I can't remember exactly but I certainly had a clear image of it in my head and felt the desire to make it into a reality. Originally I was imagining much darker pink and orange colours, along with green swirls (from green juice!) but I give up easily when it comes to food and let this cake happen instead. I might go back to that initial idea in a few months, but for now we will all have to deal with this recipe. Call me optimistic but I think we will manage, somehow.

ALMOND BUTTER + CHIA JAM BARS with CHOCOLATE

I am getting back into dreaming of recipe ideas. It used to be my main source of creativity for my blog, but after writing Rawsome Vegan Baking my mind for thinking up raw vegan sweets was basically run dry temporarily. Now I am fortunately returning to the familiar groove that is imagining new recipes as I am falling into dreamland, or just waking from it. I have also been perfecting a super healthy, super easy curry recipe for ya'll. Stay tuned. 

WHIPPED COCO CREAM TART with FRESH BERRIES

An ode to tarts:

Precious tart,

so elegant and sweet,

you tempt me with your textures... 

a slice I cannot help but eat.

Who was your inventor?

They were indeed a genius.

Your taste and colour are sublime,

nothing is more luscious.

From your crust to your cream

and the fruitiness in between,

I love you for your simplicity, 

I'll see you in my dreams.

So that was really tacky and incredibly lame of me but sometimes ya just gotta write love prose to your fave dessert. Right, guys? ... GUYS? In all seriousness though I do adore raw vegan tarts. They're easier and quicker to make than cakes, and most of the time they come out looking like super stars. You make the crust which is usually just a mix of dates and nuts, press that into a tart pan, and then you make your filling which is normally a simple blending up of bananas, coconut or nuts with  a healthy sweetener, and finally you decorate it with something pretty like fruit. Done. You now have a gorgeous, delicious, uber-good-for-you treat to impress everyone with. This is why I love raw vegan desserts.

I made this recipe a few months ago and am posting it now to remind me of the wonderful berry harvests of the summer. I will miss the sun dearly for the next couple seasons. We basically get straight rain for the next five months here in British Columbia. The only way I survive is by daydreaming about the vibrant berries we had the pleasure of eating in the previous warmer months. Until the next fertile epoch I will be consuming a lot of frozen fruit, apples, greens, carrots and potatoes. I am trying to eat more food that is grown locally, and as I have said before: it's easy to do that when you have TWO winter farmers markets in your city. Yep, we locavore Vancouverites are spoiled.

Another bonus to buying local - in addition to being more connected to your food system, minimizing your carbon foot print, and supporting ethical, environmentally-concious farmers in your area - is the quality of the produce you are getting. Yes, it can be more expensive and usually is (though sometimes you can actually SAVE money at farmers markets) the flavour, colour and texture of locally grown organic food versus internationally shipped stuff from the grocery store is incomparable. What I do now is buy "the dirty dozen"(i.e. the ones most contaminated by pesticides, etc.) if they are available at the farmers market, or at least organically-grown kinds from the grocery store. That way I find a happy balance for my wallet AND still support the local farmers and enjoy amazing produce. Is buying organic important to you? Is buying local important to you? Why or why not? Let me know in the comment section! Have a great day, beautiful people, and try making the tart! x

WHIPPED COCO CREAM TART with FRESH BERRIES

Crust:
1 cup pecans
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1 1/2 cups dates
Pinch Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut cream:
Follow this recipe.

Fruit:
3 cups fresh berries
2 bananas
1 tablespoon coconut nectar (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the crust: pulse the pecans and hemp seeds into powder in a food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients and process until it all begins to stick together. Press into a lined tart tin and put in the fridge for a couple hours.

To prepare the fruit: wash and slice the berries and bananas then coat with the coconut nectar (if using) and vanilla and put in the dehydrator for 30-60 minutes, this softens and sweetens them.

Assembly: spread your coconut cream into the crust and top off with your berries. MMM.

CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES with WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM + CHOCOLATE

WOAH. Let's slow things down for a second to acknowledge that these cupcakes are vegan, gluten-free, and made with whole foods. THANK YOU, EARTH.

They're also made with leftovers. Yup. I bought a bag of carrots from the farmers market last week and juiced them, then I was left with all this beautiful carrot pulp. I didn't wanna just compost it so I thought "Hey! I could make carrot cupcakes!" Then I did that. I know, my stories are always so exciting. The cupcake recipe is pretty basic - mostly carrots, nuts, raisins and spices - but that don't stop some epic flavours from being created. Then I topped 'em off with vegan gold AKA whipped coconut cream. Technically coconut cream is not raw, but I give you a raw cashew cream option since I'm inclusive like that. I swirled the cream with raw chocolate sauce because... raw. chocolate. sauce.

SALTED CARAMEL + SESAME CHOCOLATE CREAM TARTS

It's recipes like these that I find easy to compare with sexual experiences. I promise you'll get some intense mouthgasms when you bite into one of these tarts. I did. 

When basic logic is applied one can see how most - if not all - pleasurable moments in our lives are as such because of hormones. Namely endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin and the like. Some might think this is depressing, but I think it's totally awesome. Why do I love Jack? Well, for a lot of reasons that are unexplainable at the moment. But a huge part of it is because when I am around him and when I think about him, oxytocin is released in my brain! I associate positive emotions with him and my body and mind wants me to stick with the relationship because our evolutionary history values solid reproductive partners. When ya really give it a think - we are still such primal creatures. We are ANIMALS through and through. Sure, in the last several thousands of years our environment has changed - but our biology has not. Look around: we are uber preoccupied with eating, sex and... oh that's pretty much it. Of course we've got culture and art and music and important movements for social, political and environmental policy improvement; these seemingly have nothing to do with our fundamental drives but in a lot of cases I think you can still relate it back. There's no doubt that the general public is most focused on appeasing their senses. We are a sensual species! We like feelin' good. So do other mammals (because we are mammals, after all)! 

OAT & PECAN CAKE with VANILLA GINGER FROSTING

I wanted to keep this recipe simple and beautiful; those two features often go hand-in-hand, incidentally. The ingredients are wholesome, nutritious gifts from nature and the cake they end up making is a delightful treat to enjoy and share with those you care for. I imagine this cake being eaten in a sunny garden where flowers bloom, golden rays shine on skin moisturized with coconut oil, and a comfortable atmosphere invites subtle waves of laughter and easy conversation.

SUMMER BERRY + CASHEW CREAM PIE

I made this pie for my aunt and uncle's anniversary when my family and I stayed with them in Minnesota during the past weeks. Read and see more about that trip (and a different one I went on right before) by clicking here.  Everyone enjoyed this recipe - including the grandparents - and they were all quite surprised that the only ingredients were fruit and nuts! I was able to whip this up easily in an afternoon and let it set in the fridge so the flavours would be able to develop in time for dessert that evening. I also didn't have a food processor with me, so this was made with just a blender and my two hands! It's is a perfect summer treat since it takes advantage of what is in season here: berries! It is also refreshing and not too sweet. Serve with extra berries. Extra berries = extra fun. Every time. It would be lovely with some mint sprigs too. 

SUMMER BERRY + CASHEW CREAM PIE

Crust:
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dates

Cream:
2 cups cashews
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch Himalayan salt
Water, as needed

Topping:
Sliced strawberries
Blueberries
Anything else you like 

To make the crust: process the oats into flour in a blender or food processor. If you're using a food processor, add in the dates and process until it all sticks together. If you're using a blender, dump the oat flour into a bowl and combine the dates and oat flour together with your hands until it all is evenly gooey. This will take a few minutes and you will have to get your hands a bit dirty. Press this "dough" into a pie dish and put in the fridge.

To make the cream: blend everything together until it's smooth and thick, adding water as needed. You want it to be the texture of a thick yogurt. Pour this into your crust and leave in the fridge for three hours or preferably overnight. Decorate with berries and enjoy!

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BANANA STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM CAKE

Hello, all. How's everyone doing? This is a glorious recipe that is sure to brighten up anyone's day - who doesn't love ice cream cake? And what? It's HEALTHY, you say? Well, I'll be! It's a miracle! Actually it's not really a miracle, it's just momma nature treatin' us well and providing all the sustenance we need in the form of juicy fruits. Life is good when you've got ripe plants to eat. I am very happy with these photos, if I am being honest (and I am.) Then again, it's not hard to take beautiful photos when you have beautiful subjects to take photos of. The vibrant colours of nature are the thing to be admired here. I found these flowers at the farmer's market this morning, where a vendor was selling bunches of edible plants: 3 for $5.00! She recommended dipping the sage leaves in coconut oil then baking them with a pinch of salt until crispy... she is a genius.

Today I share with you a simple yet beautiful recipe for a sweet, creamy, fresh ice cream cake. It is made of 100% fresh fruit, and nothing else. Because when you care about the world, animals, and yourself - why eat anything but plants? Enjoying a plant-based diet is the best choice you can make to have the most positive impact on the health of our planet, our animal friends, and your own well-being. It is the intelligent decision, and the compassionate one. If you are a lover, you should let go of meat, dairy, and other animal products; it is that simple. I hope I don't sound preachy or judgemental in this post, I only want to spread a message of peace and equality. I have just been sobbing for an hour over the state of humanity. We support the systemized murder and torture of billions everyday, just to say "mmm... bacon!" It is literally insane and it must stop. I know the majority of people are not aware of the impact of their simple meal choices, and that is because there are huge corporations and massive amounts of money and power intentionally masking the truth and parading lies to the public. I do not blame the public. But I do think it's fair to demand an end to the killing. A sane person understands murder is wrong, so why eat meat? An animal is an animal - we are all animals. There is no categorical difference between us and all other living beings, so why kill one and love another? It doesn't make sense. I love my friends, so I do not eat them. Instead, I eat fruit. Let's eat cake, hug pigs, save the earth, regain our health, and love each other.

BANANA STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM CAKE

Ice cream layers:

4 frozen bananas

1 cup strawberries

Banana layers:

3 thinly sliced bananas

Slice the frozen bananas, then blend in a high speed blender until they get to the consistency of soft serve ice cream; it will take a minute but suddenly you'll have that perfect thick, creamy, fluffy texture. Add the strawberries one by one, until the mixture is pink but still thick. 

Now in a 4-inch cake mold, or other small mold, layer the sliced banana pieces with the ice cream mixture. Set in the freezer just long enough to make it hold together. Then cut around the edge of cake with a knife so it separates from the mold, then carefully take it out and enjoy! I decorated mine with edible flowers and sage leaves. 

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BANANA ICE CREAM CAKE with MATCHA, BLUEBERRY + VANILLA LAYERS

Heyo! To be honest, I wasn't too stoked on how this cake turned out, appearance-wise. I am still trying to develop my skills as a swirler (it's a word, shh), and you can really tell. If you wanna find the worlds best swirler, check out Fragrant Vanilla Cake! I am always in awe of her talent level of swirling. Anyhoo, back to my mishap: I messed up in the middle of the top of the cake, so I tried covering up my mistake with pumpkin seeds (don't we all? ... No.) Fortunately the lighting was nice today so the cake looks alright, but it still doesn't quite meet my standards in terms of prettiness. However, I am sharing it anyways because I love you. And since I love you, I of course want to give you as many delicious and healthy recipes as I can! Here's another one, folks. 

This is mostly bananas! As you may have learned from my reading my past posts and checkin' me out on Instagram - YES, I GOT INSTAGRAM! - I am eating essentially 80/10/10 now. That is, 80% carbs, 10% each for protein and fat. My diet looks a lot like *smoothiemania* all day (10 bananas per smoothie wasssapp!?) plus giant bowls of rice and vegetables for dinner. I ain't missing out on a thing! Even dessert! I love this lifestyle. I am so excited to eat everything all the time. And I have energy out the wazoo (we still do not have confirmation on the precise definition of wazoo though). Here I show you that you can have a tasty raw vegan treat, but it doesn't have to be filled with nuts and coconut oil! Those foods are awesome, but we don't need much of them; only a handful a day. You get just that with this cake. Actually, I'm gonna let you in on a secret - this cake is, for all practical purposes, a smoothie that is frozen in a cake mold. If that makes it seem unappealing to you, pretend I never said it. Blot it out from your mind forever. But if that fact makes it even MORE enticing... well, you're welcome. I think it's cool. Get it? 'Cause it's frozen? "OMG Em you are soooo funny!" Aw shucks, you're too kind. 

BANANA ICE CREAM CAKE with MATCHA, BLUEBERRY + VANILLA LAYERS

Matcha layer:

3 frozen bananas

1 teaspoon matcha powder

5 Medjool dates (optional)

Blueberry layer:

2 frozen bananas

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

Handful cashews

Handful dried coconut flakes

Vanilla layer:

3 frozen bananas

1/2 vanilla bean

2 tablespoon coconut nectar or other sweetener

Handful dried coconut shreds (optional) 

For each layer: just blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth and very thick! If your blender cannot handle it, add some coconut milk to keep things moving, and keep things creamy (if you add water it'll just make it icy). Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the matcha and blueberry mixtures. Spread each layer evenly into a 6 inch cake pan (mine is adjustable), with the vanilla layer being on top. Now drop little dots of the matcha and blueberry mixtures onto the top of the cake. Use a toothpick or chopstick and drag the tip through the dots - it makes hearts! Freeze until sold. When you wanna serve this, I recommend letting it thaw for a bit so it gets creamy. 

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JICAMA BURGERS with CUMIN, CORIANDER, DILL & LEMON

These are inspired by crab cakes, but I think they're better 'cause they are healthy and cruelty-free. Also they just taste *freaking amazing*. I honestly wasn't expecting them to be as good as they turned out. I gobbled up 3 in mere minutes. They taste great with avocado, just so ya know. Please don't expect this recipe to taste much like the original thing... the ingredients are totally different and there's no cooking involved. Enjoy the flavours and textures for what they are! Veggies are winners all by themselves! But for those of you who are vegan, seriously craving sea food, and are fine with eating cooked food... try Sophie's Kitchen products (my mom loves them).

I never actually ate crab cakes when I was growing up but apparently (thanks, Wikipedia) they are made up of crab meat, bread crumbs, mayo, butter and eggs... yum? Well, we're throwing that stuff out and bringing in fresh veggies and spices. This recipe is based with jicama, onion, walnuts and lemon juice; and spiced with cumin, chili, coriander, dill, salt and pepper. I had trouble NOT eating all the mixture before shaping it into cakes and putting them in the dehydrator. Again: these probably don't taste anything like real crab cakes but they are delicious in their own right. Ya got me!? The spices liven up the crunchy, sweet jicama and zesty lemon, while the onion gives it a bit of heat. Think of this recipe as like a basic burger or something, add some mustard, avocado, tomatoes, etc. and it comes alive. But it's also delicious on it's own. My mom thinks you should add basil and olive oil to make them "pesto burgers", she's smart. Sorry for all the sporadic-ness in this post. There's not really one focus. Hopefully you just scrolled past this because I don't even know what I am talking about now. C'mon, scroll.

JICAMA ONION CAKES with CUMIN, CORIANDER, DILL & LEMON

1 cup jicama
1/4 cup onion 
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Cumin, coriander, dill, chili, salt and pepper (as desired) 
1 cup walnuts

Peel and chop the jicama and onion up into small chunks. Throw all the ingredients - except the walnuts - into your food processor and pulse a few times until it's a consistency you like. Dump into a bowl and set aside. Now process the walnuts into a thick paste and add this to the first mixture, combining evenly so you end up with a mushy mix... it doesn't sound appetizing but other describing words are not coming to mind at the moment. Shape into cakes (I used a large cookie mold) and then dehydrate for a few hours until they hold together; or use your oven at it's lowest temperature to get the same result. Serve with herbs, avocado, veggies, spreads, crackers, or whatever else you like!

VANILLA, RASPBERRY & PEPPERMINT CREAM CAKE with CACAO TRUFFLES

I know, I know; I'm freaking out about this one too. I MEAN CAN LIFE GET ANY MORE MAGICAL! C'mon, momma nature, why you gotta be so amazing? You're making the rest of us look bad. All that is in this cake is fruit, nuts and seeds - and I promise it tastes even better than it looks. Typing that out literally made me giddy and I squealed a little bit just now. 

I'm tryin' real hard to balance out the ratio of dessert and savoury recipes on the blog because I wanna give you what you've been asking for... but you know me - I can't go more than a day without something sweet.

This was made in excitement of reaching 40,000 likes on good ole facebook.com. Sometimes I forget how much of a privilege it is having an entire community of amazing people supporting me through all my trials and tribulations... and cake-making. Seriously, you guys are my emotional backbone, in that you give me strength and confidence with each word and cyber hug we share. Thank you for being.

Lemme give ya a rundown of what this cake is all about. We've got a basic raw crust on the bottom (dates and hemp seeds), followed by three gorgeous cashew and orange cream layers. One is subtly sweet and includes vanilla, one is a bit tart and flavoured with raspberries and one is mega refreshing and packed with peppermint leaves. It's all topped off with dark chocolate (cacao) truffles and drizzle. I also sprinkled mine with hemp and pumpkin seeds because... it looks prettier like dat, ya feel me?

As far as deliciousness goes, I think this is a sufficient description to give you an idea of what to expect:  I practically fell on the floor after my first bite... but instead stayed upright and proceeded to devour a slice in mere minutes with wild eyes while whispering sweet nothings to the very thing I was eating.

VANILLA, RASPBERRY & PEPPERMINT CREAM CAKE with CACAO TRUFFLES  

Crust:
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 oats or almonds
1 cup dates

Cream cake:
2 cups cashews
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup dates 
1-2 tablespoons coconut nectar (optional) 
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
Pinch of Himalayan salt
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 peeled orange 
Water, as needed (I used about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup raspberries
1 cup mint leaves

Truffles:
1/2 cup dates
1 tablespoon cacao powder
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil 

Chocolate drizzle:
Use this recipe. 

To make the crust: pulse the hemp seeds and oats or almonds in a food processor until they turn into flour or crumbs. Add the dates and process until it all sticks together somewhat. Press in to the bottom of a lined cake pan (mine is adjustable and was about 7 inches). Put in the fridge.

To make the cream cake: blend all the ingredients together until smooth, EXCEPT the berries and mint. Take out one third of the mixture and pour onto your crust. Put back in the fridge. Take out half of the remaining mixture in the blender and set aside. Add the raspberries to the blender and blend until you get a smooth pink cream. Spread on top of your first layer and put back in the fridge. Put the remaining mixture (that you set aside a moment ago) back into the blender along with the mint leaves; blend until smooth and green. Spread evenly on top of the pink layer and keep in the fridge for 24-48 hours to let the cake set and flavours develop. 

To make the truffles: put all the ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth and thick like frosting. Roll into balls and coat in cacao powder. Decorate your cake with these, as well as hemp and pumpkin seeds, if you like. Drizzle with chocolate and slice!