Grain-free Cashew Coconut Mud Cake

I made this cake to celebrate a few wonderful, milestone events; our first wedding anniversary and my husbands’s 30th birthday.  It’s a beautiful healthy “mud cake” (and it does deserve this title, it’s super dense) made completely grain-free using a blend of coconut, cashews and almond flour, and topped with the most divine sugar-free lemon maple cashew cream.

I got the idea to blend the cashews and coconut together into a mud cake base from the amazing Wholefood Simply (see her recipe for her Coconut Mud Cake here); I love her site and the simplicity of her recipes which focus on using natural ingredients.

Grain free Cashew Coconut Mud Cake

This grain free cashew coconut "mud cake" blends whole cashews and desiccated coconut to form a creamy, delicious dairy free cake, topped with cashew frosting.

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Course: Desserts and Sweets

Cuisine: dairy free, gluten free, grain free, paleo, vegetarian

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 12 slices (approximately)

Ingredients

• 2 cups desiccated coconut
• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 6 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Frosting

• 3/4 cup cashews - soaked for 3 hours, approximately
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 lemon
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional Toppings

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 1 tbsp bee pollen
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

• First thing, take your 3/4 cup of cashew nuts for the frosting and soak them in water, if you haven't done so already.
• Preheat oven to 160 C and line the bottom and sides of a 20cm round baking tin (preferably springform, for easy removal) with baking paper.
• Place the two cups of desiccated coconut and the cup of cashews into your food processor. Blend together until the mixture starts to break down into a paste, approximately 2-3 minutes in a high-powered processor.
• Add the almond flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and tapioca flour to the food processor.
• Combine the eggs, coconut milk, vanilla extract and maple syrup in a bowl. Juice the 1/2 lemon and add the juice.
• Pour the wet mixture into the food processor and then turn it on again, processing everything together until you have a nice smooth, thick batter.
• Scoop/pour the batter into your lined baking tin and smooth over the top.
• Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes until the cake is firm to touch in the middle and the top is starting to crack and slightly brown. Then, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for an hour before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
• While waiting for the cake to cool, make the frosting by blending together the soaked cashews (drain them first!), coconut milk, juice of 1/2 a lemon, vanilla and maple syrup. Taste test and adjust with additional maple syrup and/or vanilla as desired. You can also thin out the frosting with water or more coconut milk, if needed. 
• Spread frosting on the cake.
• Slice strawberries into shards and pile into the middle of the cake. Roughly chop the pistachios and sprinkle these and the bee pollen over the top, then drizzle over the tablespoon of maple syrup.
• Serve - I chilled mine for an hour before serving which helped to firm up the frosting a little; I think it tastes delicious slightly cool/cold. Store in the fridge for up to a week. Can be frozen.