This luscious grain free cake is free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar, and yet it's SO incredibly delicious, with a rich, truly chocolatey flavour!
Start this recipe by getting your cashews soaking, a few hours before you need the cake. Just pop them in a small bowl and cover them in water, and leave to soak for about 2-3 hours.
Then, start on the cake. Preheat oven to 170 C and line a springform baking tin with baking paper along the base and sides. I recommend a 7 inch or 8 inch tin (approx. 18 - 20 cm).
Sift the coconut flour, cacao powder, tapioca flour and baking powder in to a large bowl (these can be lumpy so I recommend sifting). Then, stir in the almond flour and salt so that everything is evenly combined.
Pop the four eggs, coconut milk, honey, banana and vanilla into a blender or food processor. Blend briefly until the banana has blended in and everything is smooth. (You can also just mash the banana with a fork, and then whisk it all together by hand if you want).
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and start to pour in the wet mixture, stirring as you go. You should end up with a thick batter, like a slightly runny chocolate mousse.
Pour the batter in to the lined baking tin, and smooth over so it's distributed evenly.
Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until the cake feels firm in the centre and the edges are just starting to darken and crisp up a bit. The cake will puff up and crack a little while baking, but it will settle again.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then gently remove the cake and invert on to a wire rack to cool completely. It is a dense, soft cake, so handle with care.
While the cake is cooling, make your frosting. Drain the cashews and pop into a food processor or powerful blender. Add in the rest of the frosting ingredients, and then blend until smooth and creamy.
Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, smooth the frosting over the cake and then decorate as you please. Pictured are finely chopped goji berries, grated dark chocolate and bee pollen.
Notes
*This is the amount of milk that will be left over from one standard 400mL can if you use the rest in the cake. You don’t have to be exact about the measurement for the icing; it’s just enough creamy liquid to smooth the icing out. I recommend using a 100% natural and organic coconut milk in this recipe.**You could ice this cake differently if you wanted – keep it simple by just whipping some coconut cream, drizzling over some melted dark chocolate, or smoothing on some fluffy ricotta or Greek yoghurt (if you can tolerate dairy).
Have you made this recipe?I love seeing your creations! Take a photo and then tag me @nourish.everyday on Instagram!