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Sweet Potato, Chocolate & Chia No Bake Cake

Be still my beating heart... I kid you not, I needed to exert an extraordinary level of self-restraint not to eat the entire contents of the food processor prior to this mix making its way into the cake tin. It exudes a dangerously Voldermort-esque allure! And when it came to slathering over the creamy top onto the base I may have accidentally on purpose left more than a generous amount at the bottom of the bowl for licking out - cook's prerogative and all that. Shhh - don't tell my kids! Mooohaha!

Sweet Potato, Chocolate & Chia No Bake Cake

Recently I was approached by the lovely people over at Creative Nature Superfoods asking if I would like to sample some of their products and create some recipes using them. Given I was already using a fair few of their products I was more than happy to. (Seriously, who am I to turn down freebies in my unemployed status?)

This little baby uses their chia seeds and pink himalayan salt. The salt pairs particularly well with a scant smattering of dried lavender petals from our garden last summer.

Hop on over to their site using the link on my home page and use discount code IMPAL10 for 10% off any of their products (and apparently I even get a small commission - which would be my first earnings ever for this little blog venture and I'd be very grateful!).


The amazing thing for something so truly creamy and crazily delicious is that this cake is sweetened solely with 6 (not particularly large) dates in total - no refined sugar and no other sweeteners, unless you include the natural sweetness of sweet potato.


It boasts benefits of beta-carotene, vitamin C and potassium from the sweet potato; fibre and essential minerals from the dates; plenty of protein and good fats from the chia and sunflower seeds; antioxidants from the cocoa, as well as the nourishing and immune-boosting  effects of coconut oil.


I hope this brings you even a fraction of the joy it brought me!



Sweet Potato, Chocolate & Chia No Bake Cake
Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free

Makes 1 small 11.5cm diameter cake, approx 6 slices
(Double or triple ingredients for larger cake or use a larger tin to yield a less deep cake)



Ingredients:

Base:
1/2 cup (70g) sunflower seeds (or sub with almonds if not nut-intolerant)
1/4 cup (38g) soft unsweetened pitted dates*
1 tbsp Creative Foods chia seeds
1 tbsp (16g) coconut oil
1 tbsp cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch Creative Foods pink himalayan sea salt

Top:
1 large sweet potato (or 2 smaller), approx 275g, cooked, cooled and peeled (bake or steam, do not boil as this adds too much moisture)
1/4 cup (38g) soft unsweetened pitted dates (I used 3 bam dates, pre-soak harder dates)
4 tbsp cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp Creative Foods chia seeds, ground finely
3 tbsp (45g) coconut oil
3 tbsp coconut cream (the solid part from a can of coconut milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch Creative Foods pink himalayan sea salt

Optional decoration:
edible flower petals, bliss balls using leftover base mix, cacao nibs, dried mulberries, choice of dried fruit, seeds etc If using fresh fruit only add immediately prior to serving.

* Note on dates: I used 3 bam dates aka mazafati dates or persian dates for this recipe as I like the slightly higher moisture content. Medjool dates also work well but as they are generally larger you may not need so many. Pre-soak harder dates.


Instructions:
1. Line a small round loose based cake tin with parchment on the base to allow ease of removal.
2. Make the base by adding sunflower seeds to food processor and blitz until a coarse crumb.
3. Add dates, chia seeds and salt and continue to blitz until mixture is all a fine crumb.
4. Add coconut oil and cacao/ cocoa powder and process until mixture clumps together and forms a dough when squeezed between fingers.
5. Set aside a small amount of base mix if you wish to make bliss balls to decorate the top.
6. Transfer majority of mixture to prepared tin and press evenly and firmly to form the base. Compress well and smoothly before transferring to fridge.
7. Roll any leftover base mix into small bliss balls for decoration and transfer to fridge to set.
8. In a clean food processor blend together all the top ingredients until a smooth, creamy texture. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl periodically if necessary.
9. Remove cake tin from fridge and spread the creamy top mix smoothly over the base.
10. Decorate as preferred with any seeds, nuts, dried berries, bliss balls etc, pressing them gently into the surface of the cake. If decorating with fresh fruit wait until prior to serving.
11. Return to fridge to set for 1-2 hours before carefully removing from tin. Store in fridge or freeze in slices for portion control (lucky you if there is any left for freezing!)



Comments

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  2. I like cacao bliss reviews because it helps with my chocolate cravings... love the health benefits of the ingredients

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