Does anything pair better than chocolate and raspberries? Anyone? The answer is a big, fat, resounding “NO”. And do you want the absurd truth about this cake? This was a kitchen disaster for me. I had deemed it a failure before I pulled it out to photograph.
I originally planned something involving cashews (which I was out of) and lots of dates (which I was low on). All I had were macadamia nuts and a few dates, some juicy raspberries and some fresh cacao butter and cacao liquor. Why I thought this was a disaster is beyond me, but let me tell you, I was ready for disappointment.
Then. THEN. The most fabulous thing happened. THIS happened. And I’m delighted. It’s the perfect matrimony of sweet, savory, creamy, and tart. It’s perfect. I happen to love the taste of macadamia nuts and I prefer my cakes to not be too sweet, so it worked out perfectly. You can choose to forgo the macadamia nuts and stick with cashews (or even add more sweetener). Regardless, this is divine. And beautiful. MMmmm…
Cacao Raspberry Magic Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 2 cups macadamia nuts
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (more if you prefer a sweet cake) (not raw)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 4-5 dates, soaked and peeled
- 2 T cacao powder
- 1 t vanilla
- pinch of sea salt
- cacao shell (recipe below)
Instructions
- Place the almonds in a food process and process until a flour is formed.
- Add the dates, salt, and cacao powder and process until a chunky dough is formed.
- Dump contents into a 6″ springform pan and press down until even.
- Next, place the macadamia nuts in a food processor and process until a flour is formed.
- Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut oil and process until smooth. (Add 1-2 T of water as needed to facilitate blending).
- Dump contents over the crust and smooth over until even.
- Place in the freezer for an hour, then move to the refrigerator.
- Pour the cacao shell over the top and place in the refrigerator to harden. Top with fresh raspberries, coconut nibs, whatever sounds good!
Cacao Shell
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of shaved cacao butter
- 1/4 cup of shaved cacao liquor
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup (not raw)
- 1 t vanilla
Instructions
- In a glass bowl, add the cacao butter and cacao liquor. Make sure everything that comes in contact with this is 100% dry. Any amount of water will create a chunky, curdled consistency.
- Place the bowl over a pot of warm water and stir until melted.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla and stir to incorporate.
- Pour into mold or over dessert. Place in the refrigerator to harden.
**disclosure: if you purchase anything I link to you via Amazon I make a small percentage out of it at no cost to you! So cool for me, so cool for you!
This looks and sounds absolutely divine!
Ah thank you Elyse!! It is quite the show stopper 🙂
I made a cake with chocolate and raspberries too this weekend! Great minds think a like I guess ;)! Yours looks yummalicious!
Thanks Amy! I can't wait to check yours out … I think it's something about chocolate and berries that just seem natural in February 🙂
This looks so decadent, delicious!
Wow! This is just beautiful. I like that it's not cashews -switching it up is nice once and while! Macadamia nuts are just so rich and buttery, I think they'd be perfect. I wonder if I could make these in tiny-sized portions in muffin cups… or would that be a disaster? lol
Oh my goodness. This looks insanely delish. I love the macadamias in these. I'll definitely be giving it a try soon! Thanks for sharing!
SO decadent 🙂 it's quite the treat!
Not at all! What a great idea since an entire cake of this is pretty intimidating. And I agree on the macadamia nuts .. it's such a rich, deep, buttery flavor. I love it!
Oh I'm so glad! I hope you love it as much as we did 🙂