new zealand's finest raw piña colada cake
Ah New Zealand, you never disappoint. Far from it actually.
I wouldn't even know where to begin (our latest trip there was quite possibly the most memorable yet), so why don't I just get to the good stuff and share the recipe with you which I made while in NZ and which I KNOW you are waiting for! How do I know?...
I promised to post the recipe if it got 100 'likes' on Facebook, but it received over 270! I shall say no more and get on with it...
RAW FOOD PIÑA COLADA CAKE
for the essentials
square cake tin (I used 8 x 8inch), lined with cling film
food processor
blender
freezer
optional: dehydrator for drying pineapple
for the base
2 cups dried pineapple, store bought or dehydrated*
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup almonds, soaked overnight
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, dry
1/4 tsp salt
for the creamy layer
1.5 cups cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 medium ripe pineapple, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup coconut nectar/ agave syrup
1/3 cup cacao butter, gently melted
10 drops x coconut extract
10 drops x vanilla extract
water as needed
*If you are using store bought pineapple, soak it in water for up to an hour to soften. If you own a dehydrator, peel and thinly slice 2 ripe pineapples into 1cm thickness chunks, put half of one pineapple aside (for the creamy layer) and assemble the slices of 1.5 remaining pineapples on mesh trays of your dehydrator, dehydrate at 115degrees F for 6 hours. Yep what looks like a giant amount of pineapple in your dehydrator will shrink to just 2 cups in a matter of hours!
Process all the base ingredients in your food processor, until desired consistency. [I like the nuts to still be a bit chunky for a nice crunch and texture compliment to the creamy layer.] Transfer the mixture to a lined cake tin and gently press it down with the palm of your hand.
Transfer the creamy layer ingredients into a blender. Blend with a tamper if you own a Vitamix, otherwise add a little water and pulse until smooth. Pour the cream on top of the base layer and transfer to the freezer to set for a minimum of 4 hours.
Pull the set cake out of the tin holding onto the cling film, remove the film and chop into squares as big as your appetite.
And here are some (and only some) of my NZ trip highlights for you...
[Note they are all numbered #1 for a reason]
1. Seeing lots of blues and greens.
See more of my pics for details and if you live there or you're visiting, defo stop by Little Bird Organics in Kingsland and Wise Cicada in New Market.
Why is this a highlight of mine? I guess because it is his form of meditation. He's already a pretty peaceful person, but the ocean has that little bit of magic which he brings out of the water with him and into any energy space he enters (which is mostly mine :)).
