SPELL LIVE RECIPE – BANANA CAKE WITH BLUEBERRY, CASHEW AND LEMON ‘CREAM CHEESE’ FROSTING | easy, gluten-free & wholefood

I created this delicious recipe for a Spell live cooking workshop which can be viewed on their IGTV.

If you make this recipe, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by either commenting below or tagging me on social media @natural_harry 

For more delicious recipes like this one, check out my two easy plant-based wholefood recipe/coffee table books here.

I have included a 'cook along' with me video at the end of the post for you too, enjoy! 

X Harry

Makes: approx 19cm diameter, 4cm high cake
Prep time: 20-30 minutes 
Cook time: 45 minutes
Equipment: Blender or food processor

CAKE
10 medjool dates, pitted 
1 cup almond meal 
1/2 cup brown rice flour 
pinch salt 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 cup coconut milk fresh or from a can 
1 medium/large ripe banana, peeled

ICING
1 1/3 cups raw cashews 
1/4 cup thick coconut milk or coconut yoghurt 
65 ml lemon juice (of 1-2 lemons) 
1 teaspoon fresh miso paste (1/2 amount if not fresh)
1/4 cup maple syrup 
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional but worth it!) 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I used powder) 

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS/IDEAS
Baked blueberries - put in oven on baking paper for 10-15 minutes 
Rose petals 
Crushed pistachios 
Sliced figs 
Fresh passionfruit 

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius fan-forced 

Place your pitted dates and cashews in two separate bowls and cover with boiling water. Set aside. 

To a large mixing bowl, add the almond meal, brown rice flour, pinch of salt and baking powder. Stir to combine. 

Drain your dates and add to a food processor or blender with the coconut milk and banana. Pulse a few times and blend until smooth. 

Add this mixture to your dry indredients, fold in and mix until evenly combined. 

Line your cake tin with baking paper and spread the mixture over the bottom. Place this in the oven to bake for 45 minutes or until browned and a skewer or knife comes out clean. 

While that bakes, make your icing. Drain and rinse your cashews and add them to a blender with all of the other icing ingredients. Pulse a few times to evenly combine and blend until super smooth. Pour into a bowl or jug and place in the freezer to cool while your cake finishes cooking. 

This is also when I would put some frozen blueberries in the oven to roast (10-20 minutes will do!) 

Once your cake is cooked, place it on a cooling rack to fully cool before icing. 

TIP: If you don't need to ice your cake right away, instead of placing the icing in the freezer, store it in a container in the refrigerator until it is needed. 

Ice your cake. I find this cake looks very rustic and real. Don't get too carried away trying to even up the icing or you will go crazy! 

Top with your choice of toppings. 

I don't think I need to give the last direction, but I will any way... slice, serve and enjoy! 

COOKS NOTES

SWAPS: 

Almond meal - sunflower meal or other seed meal.

Brown rice flour - Buckwheat flour (any flour will work). 

Cashews - it will not taste the same as this however, you could use coconut butter (same quantity).

Banana - Applesauce.

Dates - Maple syrup or date paste/more ripe banana.

Maple syrup - Coconut sugar or date paste. 

Coconut milk - coconut yoghurt, almond yoghurt, plant based milk, coconut cream.

Coconut yoghurt - coconut milk.