Whole food, plant-based, no oil... and seriously delicious! I don't normally eat cake but I have made this for birthdays and special occasions. It looks as good as it tastes and passed the taste-test of two kids, a husband and omnivorous family members. Don't tell them it has a secret ingredient... sweet potato!
INGREDIENTS
Cake
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 cup rapadura sugar*
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup sweet potato, steamed and cooled
6 medjool dates, pitted
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 orange, zest and juice
Icing
1 cup sweet potato, steamed and cooled
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup rapadura sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp soy milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
To serve
Fresh berries
Edible flowers
Mint leaves
METHOD
Cake
Preheat an oven to 180 degrees C. Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Add the sweet potato, dates, vinegar, orange zest and juice to a food processor and process until the dates are fully broken down. Add the dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse to mix, adding a touch more water if it is too thick. Bake for 20–25 minutes. Check for 'cookedness' with a skewer. If it comes out clean it should be ready. Avoid the urge to over cook as this cake should be moist, dense and fudgy.
Icing
Place all of the icing ingredients into the bowl of the food processor and process until smooth. Taste, and add more sweetener if desired. Set aside in the fridge until the cake is cooked and cooled.
Assemble
Put the cake together by spreading the icing over the cake. Load the top of the cake with fresh berries, edible flowers and mint leaves.
*Rapadura sugar is evapourated cane sugar juice! Nothing added or taken away.
Note: the icing is beautiful served on toast as a chocolate spread or even used as a dip with sliced apple and bananas.
Adapted from dreenaburton.com