Raw Red Velvet Cake
It has been a really long time since I have made a layer cake, so I figured this weekend was a good time to do so. I am normally not one to stick with traditional plain flavors, but red velvet was on my mind. Just a classic red velvet, with creamy white frosting!
The last time I made a raw layer cake, honestly, I did not know what I was doing. I used pretty much all nuts for the base, and it was so dense, it was hard to cut and looked like it was falling over when I did cut it, with the frosting in the layers all squishing out the sides. Not attractive. But what else would you expect, it was really my first raw layer cake and I did not know better. I now know that too many nuts make a cake base too heavy and it is better to use lighter things like coconut flour, and sprouted flours (but not nut for me).
I have since revised my "baked" (I say baked because they are dehydrated) cake recipes many times, and I know I still will, but I am feeling pretty confident in how this red velvet recipe turned out. It is light, for a raw cake, sweet and delicious!
I knew it would be good when I was making the batter and I could not stop tasting it. It was lovely as well with the beets for color (don't worry if you do not like beets, you could not taste them) and better than all that nasty fake red dye traditional red velvet uses. This is as close as I get to classic cake recipes, my take on Red Velvet...and it was delicious!
Raw Red Velvet Cake
Makes 1 6 inch 2 layer cake
Cake
4 1/2 cups raw buckwheat flour
5 cups raw coconut flour (do NOT use store-bought!)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups raw red beet, chopped
24 medjool dates, pitted (soaked in filtered water for 30 minutes if not soft, then drained
1/4 cup raw coconut nectar
Frosting:
4 cups young coconut meat
1/2 cup coconut water
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt seeds of one vanilla bean, or 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp coconut butter
1/2 cup raw coconut oil, warmed to liquid
Combine buckwheat flour, coconut flour, sea salt, in a large bowl and whisk together until and set aside. To a food processor, add the vanilla, beets, dates,and nectar to the processor and process until pretty smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir together until smooth and well incorporated (the batter will be stiff, it takes muscle, but if it seems too dry (because some dates or beets are dryer than others) add a little filtered water until it reaches the consistency of thick brownie batter, which is what it should be). If you have a stand mixer, feel free to use it! Form the batter into 2 mounds on a lined dehydratpr sheet, then form each into a 6 inch circle (you can always trim the edges later if not perfect). Dry at 115F for about 16-18 hours, until the cakes are dry but still a little moist in the centers then remove from the dehydrator and place in the fridge to cool (at this point you can trim the edges if they are uneven).
