If you watched one of my most recent uploads on youtube you will know that I tried out a zebra vegan cake from the youtube channel"Home cooking adventure".
It is definitely a cake I recommend, something to try out. I had my family and friends try it, 4 out of 5 of them liked it. People get put off often when they hear that a dessert is vegan, they tell themselves it won't taste good, which is understandable since there is no eggs, milk, butter etc, and you wonder "How will it taste any good?", I even constantly do that. What makes this cake taste delicious is its natural flavors and the soaked cashews. It is a very pleasant dessert to eat, very moist, creamy, even with the hard crust and smooth top. You can really taste the ingredients and flavors, they are very noticeable if that makes any sense. The berry taste of it is not too strong but I would recommend eating the cake with a glass of water, it somehow makes you very thirsty.
Adventures, Home Cooking. “Raw Vegan Zebra Cake.” Homecookingadventure.com, www.homecookingadventure.com/recipes/raw-vegan-zebra-cake
Here is the recipe:
Makes 8-10 servings
Crust
1 cup (100g) pecans (or walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts)
1/2 cup (60g) dates, pitted (about 8-10 dates)
2 tbsp (16g) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp (5ml) water
1/4 tsp (1g) salt
Filling
Vanilla Filling
2 cups (280g) raw cashews (soaked for 4-6 hrs or overnight)
1/3 cup (120g) liquid sweetener, (pure maple syrup, agave syrup or honey )
1/2 cup (100g) coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp (10g) vanilla extract
4 tbsp (60ml) lemon juice, from about one large lemon
For Berry Filling
1/2 cup (75g) frozen blackberries
1/2 cup (75g) frozen blueberries
Directions
Prepare the crust: Place nuts (pecans in this case), dates, shredded coconut, cocoa powder in the bowl of a food processor and process until crumbs form. Add water and process some more until the mixture is well combined and sticks together when squeezed between your fingers.
Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a 7 inch (18cm) springform pan using your fingers or the back of a tablespoon or even the bottom of a glass. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling. Add all ingredients for vanilla base, pre-soaked cashews, lemon juice, liquid sweetener of your choice, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract into the bowl of a blender and process until creamy and smooth.
Transfer in a bowl a bit more than half of vanilla mixture.
Add frozen blackberries and blueberries over the remaining vanilla mixture into the blender and process until well combined and smooth. Transfer the mixture into a bowl.
Assembly. Use a tablespoon for each mixture to create the zebra effect. Begin from the middle of the pan, take one spoon of vanilla mixture and add it over the crust then over it add a spoon of berry mixture and repeat this steps until all batter has been used.
Rap the pan for few times, cover and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Store the cake in the freezer, but leave it out for 15 minutes to thaw out before serving. Decorate the cake with fresh blueberries and blackberries and flowers for a more elegant look. Keep the leftovers in the freezer. It can last up to 1 month in the freezer.
When I made the cake my big flop was doing the zebra technique, my batter was thicker then it should have been, I think it was from not soaking the cashews long enough. I would, therefore, recommend soaking them for at least 5 hours and not 4 hours. That's a thing to learn. I would absolutely recommend eating the leftover filling because it tastes amazing, and is super addictive.