4 LAYER BIRTHDAY CAKE

Sometimes you want to make something special but hold on to a recipe for just that right moment. Well, no excuse is better than a birthday to make a cake. Introducing Eden’s birthday cake. Sure, it’s not really a cake per se, but it’s as healthy as it gets, naturally sweet and once decorated, rises to the occasion.

Chock full of fruity goodness, this birthday cake will please kids and adults alike. That said, I will do it differently next time. I think certain fruits would work better than the ones I chose. While aesthetically gorgeous, pitaya (dragon fruit) is pretty damn bland. The swirls you see were not just for decoration, they were to enhance the flavor with the pineapple. I would also omit or replace the kiwi, the flavor just isn’t strong enough to really shine. I would also put layers of chopped fruit in between to bump it up. Not saying it still isn’t delicious, but it really can be improved with some minor changes.

The stand out flavors were the pineapple and mango. Next time I would either add a layer of strawberry, peach, banana, passion fruit or even coconut. The writing on the cake is passion fruit and that was really a nice highlight of flavor.

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: 4 LAYER BIRTHDAY CAKE

PISTACHIO CRUST

1/2 cup pistachios

1/2 cup almond meal

4 dates (soaked for 3 to 6 hours or until soft)

Pulverize the pistachios and add the almond meal. Using the back of a fork, blend the dates into the dry mixture until it’s well blended. Press to the bottom of a spring form pan. I put it into the dehydrator for 2 hours at 115 degrees, but it’s not necessary if you don’t have one. Once prepared, line the sides of the spring form pan with wax or parchment paper, allowing the paper to come up the sides beyond the pan.

Filling

I used the same ratios with each fruit layers. This part of the recipe is per layer, you will have to do this 4 times with different fruit.

1 cup fruit (kiwi, mango, pineapple, dragon fruit, or any fruit you would like to use)*

1/3 cup cashews

2 tblsp coconut oil

1 tsp maple syrup (I only used this with the kiwi)

Puree the fruit then add the cashews and blend until smooth. Add maple syrup and coconut oil. Pour one layer into the prepared spring form pan. Place in the freezer for at least 20 mins or until set. Carefully pour the second layer and place in the freezer. Repeat these steps until you finish the top layer. If you want the swirl just use the edge of a knife or a toothpick and swirl into the layer below. The layers have to be relatively soft for that to happen.

If you’re serving right away, remove cake after top layer firms up. If you’re serving later in the day or the following day, remove from the freezer into the refrigerator at least 2 1/2 hours before or you won’t be able to cut it, it will be frozen solid. When served soft it’s more like a mousse.

I decorated with a piece of star fruit and a couple of tiny strawberries from our garden. I used the same mixture ratio from the filling recipe with passion fruit for the writing. I just wrote out Eden’s name on wax paper and put it in the fridge.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the kiwi or the dragon fruit in this, they were too bland. Passion fruit and strawberries would be a perfect substitute for this.