The Most Strawberry-y-y of Shortcakes….YUM!!!!

Can you believe it? There is actually an uncooked and Vegan version of the most beloved strawberry desserts!

I remember each spring as strawberries came into fruit having piles of them on my shortcakes. They are one of natures most delicious sweets! They grew a plethora in the strawberry coppice we had, and the neighbours never did anticipate having a fruit basket delivered to their house every summer.

Do you want to learn how to make healthy desserts with no guilt necessary?

While the recipe is not much more complicated or time consuming than making the cooked version from scratch, this version will retain all its nutritional value since we are not destroying the delicate chemical balance with heat.

Here we GO! One delicious and nutritious Strawberry Shortcake coming up! This recipe is for an 8″ cake that can be assembled in a springform or on a large plate as shown in the pictures below.

Directions and Ingredients:

Cake
2 cups almond pulp from making almond milk*
1 cup pitted dates, soaked in purified water for 2-4 hours
1/4 lemon, peeled
1 tbl vanilla powder or 2 tbls liquid vanilla
1/8 tsp Himalayan salt, fine ground
1 cup coconut flakes, unsulfured

Whipped Cream Filling & Topping
1 cup cashews, soaked in purified waters for 4 hours

Whipped Cream
1 cup cashews or a mixture of cashews and macadamia nuts
1 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh coconut milk (simply blend 1/4 cup dried coconut with 3 parts water in high speed blender)
1/8 – 1/4 cup honey or agave (depending on how sweet a tooth you have)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon lecithin** or 2 teaspoons psyllium husks (see notes)

Strawberry Layer and Decoration
1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced

To make the Whipped Cream:
Blend all ingredients except coconut oil and lecithin until smooth. Add coconut oil and lecithin and blend until thoroughly mixed. Set in fridge for about 1 hr.

(I ended up having too much cream for the cake, and served the last of it with fresh strawberries. Soooooo good!)

To make the Cake:
Place dates in food processor and process until a smooth paste forms. You may need to add a little water.

Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.

Assembly:
Grease a springform pan with a little coconut oil or line a large margarine tub with plastic film.

Next form an even layer on the bottom with half of the cake mixture.

Top with 1/2 of the strawberries, followed by some of the whipped cream. Put in fridge to set.

When firm, form another cake layer. Then top with more strawberries. (Remember to save a few for decoration).

Again top with whipped cream and set in fridge.

When firm, gently remove cake from the pan or margarine tub and place on serving plate.

Decorate with strawberry slices and serve.

Andrea’s Notes:

*You can use other nut pulps such as Brazil and Hazelnut. As you make nut milks, press the pulp in a container and freeze it until you have enough to make this cake. There are many other recipes you can use this pulp for as well such as graham crackers and Tiramisu cake.
**Lecithin acts as an emulsifier. Look for non-GMO sunflower or soy lecithin. Either granules or powdered form work just fine. If you are using a high speed blender, the granules be ground in along with the other whip cream ingredients.
~ For the whipped cream, I used 2 teaspoons psyllium husks instead of lecithin, as suggested in Cafe Gratitude’s recipe. As a result, I found that I had to let the cream set in the freezer rather than the fridge. The consistency also made it difficult for the cake to hold its shape well once at room temperature. However, this may not be a major issue if you keep the cake in the freezer, thawing pieces as needed.
~ In order for each layer to retain its distinctive shape, it’s key to let the whipped cream layer set in the fridge (or freezer) before patting down the cake layer. Yes I know it’s just for visual purposes, but hey, remember that we taste with our eyes first.
~ For a simpler version of this, put a cake layer, followed by strawberries. Top with whipped cream and let set in the fridge. Decorate with strawberry slices and serve. Perhaps not as impressive but definitely still as delicious!

Here are some pics of each step along the cake creation journey to YUMNESS!!! I should have taken a picture of my face after taking a bite, lol!