Cinnamon Fudge Cake

Yesterday was my birthday, and I believe in birthday cake! So I made this one for a party I had. A raw cake is a pretty intense thing. It involves a lot of nuts ground into flour, which makes for a pretty heavy, dense cake. A small sliver of a piece is pretty filling, so one cake serves a lot of people. I mean a lot. We made a pretty good dent in this thing by the end of the night, but I'll have a few slices in my freezer for awhile. I may have to have friends over again to finish it off.  Last night, however, was a great time with great friends eating great food and then enjoying some great dancing. Thanks to those who celebrated with me. You know how to make a girl feel special.

Cinnamon Fudge Cake:
Wet Ingredients:
7 medjool dates blended with 1/4 c. water
1 c. coconut milk
1 t.  sea salt
1 T. vanilla
1 c. coconut oil in liquid state

Mix all ingredients together, adding coconut oil last.

Dry Ingredients:
5 c. ground almonds
3 c. ground cashews
1 c. shredded coconut
1 c. cacao powder
2 T. cinnamon
2 t. sea salt
1/4 c. agave

Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until well incorporated. Add agave and mix again.

Next, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix with hands or pulse gently in a food processor on the dough setting. (Note: a hand mixer would have kept this cake lighter and not so dense, but I don't have one. I used the food processor and pulsed as little as was necessary. The cake was quite dense in texture, but the flavor isn't compromised. A fluffier cake would be nicer but is sometimes hard to achieve with nuts as the base.)

Cashew Crumble Filling:
2 c. cashews chopped
1/4 c. agave
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss until well coated.

Cinnamon Frosting:
2 c. soaked and drained cashews
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. agave
1 t. lemon juice
2 T. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. sea salt
2/3 c. coconut oil in liquid state
1/3 c. coconut butter in softened state

Blend all ingredients in the Vitamix, adding coconut oil and coconut butter last. Pour frosting into a shallow pan and chill until set. This may take about an hour or two. Frosting should still be spreadable when applied to cake.

Assembly:
Press cake batter evenly into two springform pans. Spread crumble onto the top of one of the cakes. Chill for at least one hour before layering the second cake onto the crumbled topped layer. Lastly, frost the cake with the frosting.

Optional: cacao nibs for the spiral garnish.