Hello, first of the season local (PA) strawberries, at least here at home. So much tastier than those out of season ones shipped from who knows where?

I don’t typically gravitate towards sweet desserts, but I do have one sweet treat up my sleeve. It’s a raw-ish, no bake cake that I usually make when I have guests over. Well, right now I have no guests, but decided to make a version of this cake nonetheless. It’s quite decadent.

The base is almonds and dates. The second layer is creamy and luscious — cashews (soaked in water over night), coconut milk, chocolate and a handful of other ingredients. I say raw-ish, because, well, it’s not completely raw — I added a bar of melted dark chocolate to the filling.

It’s sweetened solely with dates and maple syrup. It’s nutty and rich but not overly sweet.

This cake takes on a semifreddo-like (semi-frozen) consistency. I like to store it in the freezer (in an air-tight container) and take it out about an hour or so before serving, so that it has that still chilled yet creamy consistency. You can also store in the fridge, but then it will have more of a mousse consistency.

It makes a fairly small cake (6-inches in diameter), which might not look like a lot. But, a small piece goes a long way. Trust me on this one.

I topped with some fresh berries and a sprig of mint from the garden.

Base layer…

Filling layer…

I like to add some sort of nut or seed butter to the filling…peanut butter, almond butter, tahini all work.

I had some black tahini on hand, so that’s what I used. It looks odd :-), but tastes like tahini.

No Bake Raw-ish Chocolate Cake

Crust
1 1/4 cups raw whole almonds
3/4 cup pitted Medjool dates
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons room temperature coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until the consistency of almond meal. Add the rest of the crust ingredients and process until well combined.

Press the the crust ingredients with your fingers into the bottom of a 6-inch springform pan.

Filling
1 1/4 cups cashews soaked overnight
1/4 cup nut or seed butter (e.g., peanut, almond, tahini)
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
3 ounces dark chocolate (around 70-80%)
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons room temperature coconut oil
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon gelatin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all filling ingredients in a high-speed blender. Process until very smooth. Pour the filling into the tart pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Freeze for at least 3 hours.

Unmold, dust the top with some cocoa powder and top with strawberries if you like. I macerated the strawberries with a little coconut sugar and let them sit for 20-30 minutes. The sugar pulls out the juices of the fruit forming a syrup. Totally optional.

Note: I like to store the cake in the freezer (in an air-tight container) and take it out about an hour or so before serving, so that it has that still chilled yet creamy consistency. You can also store in the fridge, but then it will have more of a mousse consistency.