I love trying out new ingredients and was very excited when @organicorealfoods sent me some of their French chestnut purée to play with. I must admit I tend to think of chestnuts as something to put in stuffing at Christmas, but actually, they are really delicious in cakes. When I was little I remember my mum, who was an amazing cook, used to make a delicious sweet chestnut puree filling which she used in cakes and with pancakes and cream. Chestnuts are also good for you, they contain antioxidants and lots of fibre, and they also have a protective effect of the probiotic bacteria in your gut.
So I thought I’d have a go at creating a cake. We had 16 people coming for Easter, and to celebrate four birthdays including Chris’s dad’s 85th! In our family, we have a coeliac, a vegan, two people with diabetes, two people who eat gluten-free and a bunch of foodies who love good food. When I make food I like to create food that everyone can eat, and food that is seriously good for everyone. Food is medicine, but it has to taste amazing too – there is no compromising on taste!
Anyway, I’m so pleased with how this turned out! I tried it out on the family at the weekend and it was a huge hit. I made the mousse with tiger nut milk, very rich and creamy and the base is made with oats and tiger nut flakes. Totally gluten-free, vegan, dairy free, no added sugar and no baking so it’s super easy to make.
The recipe is pretty adaptable, I tend to cook without measuring so don’t worry about being exact, use the recipe as a guide and adjust to your taste as you go along. I added a handful of mixed seeds and nuts for extra texture. I used our ready-made milk, but it will work with fresh tiger nut milk just as well. Obviously, tiger nut milk is my favourite – but you can use any other nut milk you have to hand.
You need to soak some ingredients overnight, but once you start it only takes about 20 minutes to make. It is so simple and so delicious and tastes absolutely decadent – I promise people won’t believe how easy and how healthy it is!
Ingredients
250g cashew nuts
4 tablespoons Organico chestnut puree
3 dates
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
3 tablespoons coconut oil
200mls tiger nut milk (or any other nut milk)
200g oats
200g tiger nut flakes
a large handful (100g)of seeds and nuts – just use whatever takes your fancy! (I used linseeds, chia, almonds, and dried blueberries.)
Method
Soak the cashew nuts overnight in water along with the three dates. Drain. Lightly process the tiger nut flakes, oats, nuts and seeds with the coconut oil and two of the dates, When you can press the mixture together and it sticks, then it is done – you want to have texture but for it to hold together as a base.
Use a cake tin with removable base, and press down creating a firm base. Place in fridge or freezer to firm up a little.
Then add the cashews, chestnut puree, cacao, vanilla powder, and the remaining soaked date to a processor, along with some of the milk. Process, adding extra milk as you go. Process until smooth and light.
Spoon into the cake tin on top of the base, and place in the fridge or freezer to firm up. Top with anything you fancy, serve and enjoy!
Ani
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Soak 3
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