Pink Lolly Bag Happy Cake

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Smooth and creamy, sweet in a mild caramel-chocolaty way, with subtle minty and floral hints, this cake is made with powerful ingredients, full of nature’s goodness. And it literally packs a rainbow of nutrition!

Ingredients

For the base:

• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 TBSP linseed meal
• 1/3 cup sultanas
• 1/3 currants (or more sultanas)

For the 2nd layer (crunchy caramel):

• 1/2 cup date paste (soaked dates, drained and blended until smooth), 1/3 cup crushed pistachio nuts, 1 T cacao powder, pinch of nutmeg

For the 3rd layer (minty-creamy-coconut):

• 1 cup coconut shreds, 1/2 cup cashew nuts, 1/2 cup almond milk (or other nut milk), big handful of fresh mint, 2 TBSP coconut oil, 2 TBSP liquid sweetener of choice (raw honey, pure agave), 3 TBSP fresh lemon juice – Meyer if available (+2-3 TBSP water, only if needed)

For the 4th layer (chocolate ‘ganache’):

• 2 medium avocados, 4 TBSP date paste, 3 TBSP cacao powder, 1 TBSP coconut oil, zest of 1 mandarin, pinch of cinnamon

For the 5th & 6th layers (floral lavender & frosting) make a common base mix of:

• 1.5 cups macadamia nuts, soaked for 2 hours and drained, 1.5 cups coconut shreds, 1 cup almond milk (or other nut milk)

To finish the 5th layer (floral lavender):

• 1/3 of the macadamia-coconut mix above, 1 tsp dry lavender buds (see not below), 2 TBSP sweetener of choice (raw honey, pure agave), 1 TBSP coconut oil, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 3 TBSP fresh lemon juice – Meyer if available, 4 TBSP water

To finish the 6th layer (frosting):

• 2/3 of the macadamia-coconut mix above, 1/4 cup peeled and chopped beetroot, 1/2 cup dry cranberries, 5 TBSP fresh lemon juice – Meyer if available, 5 TBSP water, 2 TBSP sweetener of choice (raw honey, pure agave), 2 TBSP coconut oil

Instructions

1. To make the base, add nuts and seeds to a food processor and blitz until it gets crumbly. Add dry fruits and blitz until it gets sticky. Press into spring form pan and place in freezer.
2. To make the crunchy caramel, combine ingredients in a bowl and mix with a spatula. Scoop mix onto the base and return to freezer.
3. To make the minty-creamy-coconut layer add all ingredients to a high speed blender and whiz until you get a smooth texture. Taste and adjust sweetness (or minty-ness) if needed. Scoop onto the caramel layer and return to freezer.
4. To make the chocolate ‘ganache’ add all ingredients to a high speed blender and process until it becomes silky smooth. Scoop this into the minty layer and return to freezer.
5. To make the final 2 layers, add macadamia nuts, coconut shreds and almond milk to blender and process until it becomes creamy and smooth.
6. Scoop out 2/3 of the mix and set aside.
7. Add to blender the rest of the ingredients for the lavender layer and continue to process until they’re incorporated. Scoop this onto the chocolate ‘ganache’ layer and return to freezer.
8. Return the remaining 2/3 of the macadamia mix to the blender and add the rest of the ingredients for the frosting. Blitz until they’re all incorporated and you get a bright pink creamy mix. Scoop this onto a bowl and set aside for 15 minutes, until the cake firms up a bit.
9. Once the cake is firm, spread the frosting all over – sides and top. I used a spatula to level the frosting, but other than that, no rules.
10. Place the cake in the fridge, covered, and allow to set for 1 hour or so.

Notes

Be careful where you get your lavender buds from and make sure you clean and dry them well before using them in food, to eliminate any potential chemicals used to grow the plant. * The blender needs to be cleaned after making each cake layer.