Caramelized Banana Pecan Ice Cream
8th April 2015
Double Layer Chocolate Coconut Cake
9th April 2015
Ingredients
For the base
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted or soft
- 1 organic egg
- 1 tbsp raw maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
For the caramel filling
- 150 gm pitted dates (about 20 Medjool dates, soaked in boiling water for at least 10 minutes)
- 1 cup coconut milk (cream)
- 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil soft or melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan Pink Salt
- 2 tbsp almonds crushed
For the chocolate topping
- 100 gm coconut oil
- 6 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tbsp raw maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Servings:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F. Grease a 22 cm tart tin with coconut oil.
- Start with the base. The recipe uses raw hazelnuts but toasting it beforehand to give them richer flavor. Heat a small frying pan and add the hazelnuts (1 cup + the 2 tablespoons for the filling). Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, swirling frequently to prevent burning, until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and cool for a few minutes.
- Hazelnuts in a food processor Reserve 2-3 tablespoons for later. Grind and process into fine meal, for about a minute. Add the almond meal, coconut oil (I didn't even melt mine), egg, maple syrup. Scoop the mixture out and make it into a large ball. Place and flatten between 2 sheets of baking paper (about 50 x 50 cm). With a rolling pin, roll out the base to about 3 mm thick (mine was more like 5 mm). When rolling, start from the middle and roll to the edges in different directions. Peel the top layer of baking paper off, then flip the base over the tart tin. Be gentle.
- If the base broke a little you just fill in any gaps with your fingers. Make sure the area where the sides and the base meet is filled, a little thicker if possible. Place a round layer of baking paper over the base and fill with baking beads. I used uncooked chickpeas. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, remove the baking beads and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden brown. I turned the oven to 170°C for the second 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, in the tin.er natural sweetener) + vanilla. Whiz again until the mixture comes together.
- Now for the filling. Drain the water from the soaked dates. In the food processor, whiz the dates, coconut oil and vanilla until they foam a thick paste. Add the coconut cream or milk and salt, whiz again until really smooth (about a minute, scrapping the sides as you go).
- Spread the caramel mixture over the base and place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. You can sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts over the base before adding the caramel but I sprinkled mine on top of the chocolate layer.Now to make the chocolate topping. In a double boiler (a bowl placed over simmering water), melt the coconut oil, honey and vanilla. Stir until combined. Sift in the the raw cacao powder and whisk continuously until smooth. I'd say about 20-30 seconds, you don't want to overcook it. Pour the chocolate topping over the caramel and spread with a spatula. Sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Enjoy!
