Tropical Mango Matcha Smoothie…Cake

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Do you have a picky eater in your household who refuses to eat their veggies? The trick is all in the presentation! If you’re on the look out for ways to sneak those leafy green veggies into your child’s (or your own!) diet than this recipe by Chris Anca of Tales of a Kitchen will be very well received! A creamy green smoothie with spinach, fresh mango, banana, cashew milk, ginger, vanilla, and a dash of green tea powder forms the actual base of a deliciously fruity cake. Agar, a thickener derived from algae, is added to help things set properly. Serve it with a sprinkling of macadamia shavings and fresh mint leaves to garnish.

Ingredients

For the smoothie:

• A handful of fresh spinach
• 2 medium-small mango fruits
• 1 banana
• 1 cup cashew milk (or other nut milk of choice)
• 2 cm piece of ginger
• 1 tsp matcha green tea
• 1 TBSP sweetener of choice (honey / maple syrup)
• 4 TBSP lemon juice
• pinch vanilla powder
• 1 cup water

For the base of the cake:

• ½ cup crushed almonds
• 3 Medjool dates

For the filling of the cake:

• 1 cup of the smoothie
• ⅔ tsp agar agar + ½ cup water
• To serve: macadamia shavings & fresh mint

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients for the smoothie to a blender and blitz until you get a smooth concoction.
Reserve 1 cup of the smoothie in a bowl and enjoy drinking the rest.

2. To make the base of the cake, simply mix the dates with the crushed almonds. It can easily be done by hand.

3. Press the mix into a your chosen cake shape, lined with cling film.

4. To make the filling, add the water with the agar agar to low heat and stir with a whisk until it begins to thicken. It doesn’t need to get to a boil.
Once it begins to slightly thicken (should be around a minute), remove from heat and continue to stir for another minute.

5. Add the agar agar mix to the smoothie in the bowl and swiftly mix it through with a whisk.

6. Add the cake filling to the base and place in the fridge.
Can be served in as little as 10 minutes.

7. Serve chilled.