A raw vegan cake is made from vegetable ingredients that are unprocessed and unheated. Unlike a classic cake (white flour + refined sugar + dairy products, heated at a high temperature), a raw vegan cake is:
• Vegan or vegan, so exclusively made with ingredients that are not of animal origin (no milk, butter or egg);
• Made from ingredients in their purest, unprocessed form;
• A cake where the ingredients all change the texture by mixing, chopping, soaking and/or letting it rest.
Why these cakes?
• When cooked below 42 C, the ingredients are still completely intact and rich in nutrients, ready to do their healthy work!
• The taste of these cakes is very intense, while you can still taste every single ingredient.
• The texture is wonderfully soft and creamy.
• The cakes are super easy to make.
• Because they contain no dairy and eggs, these cakes are easy to store.
• The majority of these cakes are gluten-free.
• For a 100% vegan version, you can replace horning with rice syrup or maple syrup.
My tips
Blender
Wherever you read mixes, you can use an immersion blender. You can even crush nuts with this. Be careful not to grind the nuts too long, otherwise, you will end up with nut oil or paste! If you need another kitchen aid, it’s in the recipe.
Pie moulds
All cakes are quite liquid at first and need to be chilled for a while in the fridge or freezer. It is therefore important that you can easily remove them from the mould afterwards. We usually use a springform pan (a metal mould with a removable bottom), but ear silicone moulds are suitable for these recipes. If you don’t have all of those, another good way is to place a few sheets of baking paper on the bottom of a mould and let a point of each sheet stick out above the mould so that you only have to pull on those points to get the cake out.
Save
• 5 days in the fridge (2-3 days if it contains nut milk)
• 1 month in the freezer
Leftovers
If you have leftover dough after cooking, make small balls and store them in an airtight container. Ideal as a healthy snack.
The ingredients
Precisely because the ingredients in these cakes are hardly processed, it is important that they are of top quality and as organic as possible. Most ingredients can be found in the supermarket, otherwise at a health food store or on the internet, such as vanilla powder.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is an important part of raw vegan cakes. Below 25°C, this oil solidifies. It is indispensable in cakes that need to stiffen.
Nuts and seeds
You can use this to make the pie crust and often also the cream filling of raw vegan cakes. They provide both bite and creaminess. Creamy effect: cashew nuts that you first soak and grind ducks with the immersion blender are excellent substitutes for traditional dairy in many cakes. Stick to the indicated working time, for the right creamy consistency. Dough effect: Nuts form the basis for the bottom for shortcrust pastry. Walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds… are interchangeable, but above all: indispensable! For the best results, buy them unsalted and unroasted, and grind them yourself.
Coconut cream
Coconut cream is the least diluted version of coconut milk (made from coconut flesh; fat content about 24%). You can whip coconut cream just like classic whipped cream. You can also use coconut cream in the cream filling of a raw cake. It stiffens nicely and gives a delicious, creamy accent to the cake.
Fresh fruit, raw cocoa, superfoods
Lemon makes cakes last longer and provides a fresh touch. Lime, red fruit, peach and orange – any fruit that is full of juice and has soft flesh can be used. Regular store-bought chocolate has been heated and thus transformed. But the chocolate flavour doesn’t disappear when you choose raw chocolate. You experience the chocolate in its most cocoa powder, raw chocolate bars and cocoa beans that have a coffee-like taste.
Chia seeds, goji berries, matcha powder… These superfoods have been used for centuries. Discover their health benefits for yourself! They’re not indispensable, so if you can’t find them, just leave them out.
Dried fruits and natural sweeteners
Most honey you see in the supermarket has been heated and filtered. However, raw (‘cold-thrown’) honey is also available: it has not been pasteurized or transformed in any other way. The rich taste and all the nutrients have been preserved. If the honey has been chilled, it will be clearly stated on the label. However, honey is a product made by bees and is therefore not suitable for vegans. Maple syrup and rice syrup are good plant-based alternatives. Dates can also give raw pies natural sweetness and a delicious caramel-like accent. Preferably choose Medjool or ‘Deglet Nour’ dates, which have super-soft flesh and can be easily ground. Feel free to use raisins and cooks.
