This raw vegan chocolate cake couldn’t be easier to prepare. Perfect for a healthy dessert and delicious enough as a celebration cake – it’s ideal for every occasion!
I don’t know about you, but I always used to assume raw cakes were difficult to make and required a lot of abstract ingredients. Boy, was I wrong!
Most raw cakes use a similar base of dates and nuts – things that most plant-based eaters have in their pantries already. And with no oven-watching or double-boiling, I’d argue that raw cakes are even easier to prepare than their traditional counterparts!
This easy raw vegan chocolate cake recipe only requires about 20 minutes to throw together and you can make it well ahead of time too!
Who is this Raw Chocolate Cake Suitable for?
This flourless chocolate cake is ideal for anyone who wants or needs to avoid milk, eggs, gluten, or refined sugars. It’s also a healthier version than regular chocolate cakes which typically have very little (if any) nutritional value.
Our healthy vegan chocolate cake recipe is also:
– High in fibre
– Rich in antioxidants
– High in manganese
– A good source of Iron, Zinc and Vitamin E
Healthy Vegan Chocolate Cake Ingredients
Our raw food chocolate cake is assembled in three parts – each with just a handful of common ingredients. Feel free to use this recipe as a base and create your own version by mixing up the nuts, adding fruit, or experimenting with different toppings.
For the crust:
– 1 cup pitted dates
– 1.5 cups of nuts
– 1/4 cup shredded coconut
– 1 tbsp coconut oil
For the filling:
– 2 cups cashews
– 1/2 cup pitted dates
– 1/4 cup coconut milk
– 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
– 3 tbsp maple syrup
– 1 tsp raw vanilla extract
For the ganache:
– 3/4 cup coconut milk
– 2 tbsp coconut oil
– 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
Optional toppings:
– Fresh berries
– Cacao nibs
– Coconut shavings
– Dark chocolate shavings
Notes and variations with ingredients:
- To keep this chocolate cake recipe truly raw, we’ve used raw cacao and unrefined coconut oil. However, if this doesn’t bother you, you can of course sub these for cocoa powder and refined coconut oil.
- You can use almost any nuts for the crust. Mix things up with pecans, walnuts, cashews, or even pistachios!
- We used normal dates, but you can also use medjool dates if you prefer.
- Remember to soak your cashews and dates prior to starting this raw cake recipe. Soak for at least 2 hours in cool water, and up to 24 hours.
How to Make Raw Chocolate Cake
As previously mentioned, we’re going to assemble the cake in three parts, starting with the raw nut cake crust.
- Using your blender, process the nuts, dates, coconut and coconut oil to form a paste.
- Spoon the paste into the base of an 8″ springform pan, and spread it around evenly with your hands.
Then you’ll move onto the filling.
- Place the pre-soaked dates & cashews in a blender (or bowl if using an immersion blender), along with the rest of the filling ingredients.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add the filling mixture on top of the crust and spread it around evenly.
- Pop the pan in the fridge to set for 2 hours.
While the cake is setting, you can prepare the ganache.
- Gently warm the milk and coconut oil on the stove or in the microwave (don’t let it get too hot).
- Add the cacao powder and let it rest for 1 minute.
- Whisk the mixture until well combined.
- Once the cake has cooled and set, spread the ganache on top.
You can serve it straight away if you wish, or return it to the fridge in order to make it more solid.
Carefully extract the cake from the pan, and serve!
How to Store Your Raw Vegan Cake
You can store the cake in the fridge for up to a week. Any leftovers will last well in the freezer too.
What to Serve with your Flourless Vegan Chocolate Cake
You can serve your cake as is, or go wild decorating it with fresh berries, coconut, cacao nibs, dark chocolate shavings – pretty much anything that takes your fancy!
Other Vegan Cake Ideas
Raw Vegan Chocolate Cake
A decadent dessert that's simple to make and quick to prepare. A healthy alternative to traditional cakes, this vegan raw chocolate cake is flourless and requires zero baking.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1.5 cups nuts - we used almond & brazil
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Filling
- 2 cups of cashews
- 1/2 cup pitted dates
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Ganache
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
Optional toppings:
- Fresh berries
- Cacao nibs
- Coconut shavings
- Dark chocolate shavings
Instructions
For the crust:
- Process all the ingredients to form a paste.
- Pour it into an 8-inch springform pan and spread it evenly over the base with your hands, pressing lightly as you go.
For the filling:
- Soak the cashews and dates for at least 2 hours.
- Drain and give them a quick rinse before placing them in the blender with the rest of the filling ingredients.
- Blend until you get a smooth cream.
For the ganache:
- Gently warm the milk and coconut oil in a pot or microwave.
- Add the cacao powder to the milk and oil mixture, let it rest for 1 minute.
- Mix with a wire whisk until integrated.
Assembling the cake:
- After covering the bottom of your springform pan with the crust, add the filling mixture and put it in the fridge for 2 hours to cool.
- Once cool, cover the cake with your cooled ganache.
- Store in the fridge for several hours to achieve a more solid consistency.
- It can also be stored in the freezer if you wish to have a firmer cake.
Notes
Cashews and dates: If you forget to soak these beforehand, you can pop them in boiling water for 15 minutes instead. Note, that this technically means the cake is no longer raw.
Cacao powder: Using raw cacao powder is beneficial health-wise. But if you don't have it on hand, you can substitute it with cocoa powder.
Springform pan: We made this cake in an 8" pan, but you could easily make it in a 6 or 7" pan also, for a taller cake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 383Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 200mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 4gSugar: 17gProtein: 8g
Nutrition information should be considered as an estimation only.