Fancy a tropical escape without leaving your kitchen? This raw cake in the style of a coconut chocolate bar brings together a crunchy base of nuts and cocoa-rich dates, and a silky coconut and cashew filling. Gluten free, vegan, with no refined sugar, it is nonetheless thoroughly indulgent once covered with a drizzle of melted chocolate. A dessert that impresses for very little effort.
Raw chocolate coconut bounty cake
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Ingredients
For the base
- 1 cup mixed nuts (walnuts, cashews, Brazil nuts)
- 8 medjool dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- A pinch of Himalayan or sea salt (equivalent to 1 tablespoon - 15 ml - of seawater)
- 1 to 3 tbsp warm water
For the filling
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
- 1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup coconut nectar or raw honey
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup filtered water
To finish
- 6 squares of dark or raw chocolate, melted
Preparation
- In a food processor, blend the nuts to a fine grind.
- Add the dates, the cocoa and the salt, then keep blending, checking the texture between your fingers now and then. Add water if needed, one spoonful at a time, until the mixture holds together without sticking.
- Line a 20 cm round springform tin with baking paper and press the base evenly into the bottom.
- Drain the soaked cashews. In the cleaned processor, blend the cashews, the desiccated coconut, the warm coconut oil, the coconut nectar, the vanilla and the water for about 5 minutes, until very smooth.
- Pour the filling over the base and tap the tin lightly to spread it evenly. Put it in the freezer for 4 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, let it thaw in the fridge for about 2 hours, or 1 hour at room temperature.
- Melt the chocolate and drizzle it over the top before serving.
Tip
Remember to soak the cashews the day before to save time on the day: they will blend all the more easily into a perfectly smooth cream.
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FAQ: your questions about raw chocolate coconut cake
Why should you soak cashew nuts?
For two reasons, one technical and one digestive. Technically, a soaked cashew has absorbed water: it grinds far more easily and gives a perfectly smooth cream, with no grit on the tongue - essential for a filling like this one. As for digestion, soaking reduces the phytic acid and the enzyme inhibitors present in the seed, which makes it lighter for some sensitive stomachs. Two to four hours are enough for cashews, which turn slimy beyond that, unlike almonds.
What are the 3 types of cocoa?
Three main varieties of cocoa tree are traditionally distinguished. Criollo, rare and fragile, accounts for a tiny share of world production but yields the most aromatic cocoas, with fruity notes and little bitterness. Forastero, robust and productive, supplies the overwhelming majority of the world's cocoa, with a fuller, more bitter profile. Trinitario, a hybrid of the two, seeks a compromise between finesse and yield. To these should be added Ecuadorian nacional, often classed separately for its very distinctive floral scent.
What is the best quality of cocoa?
It all depends on the use, but a few markers help. For a raw dessert like this one, an unroasted cocoa - dried below 45 °C - keeps more of its volatile aromas and its original compounds. Then look at the variety: fine cocoas (criollo, nacional) stand out for their fruity or floral notes, where a standard forastero stays flatter. Finally, be wary of powders labelled 'alkalised' or 'Dutch process': that treatment softens the bitterness but noticeably impoverishes the aromatic profile.
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