Chocolate, ginger and lime cake recipe

I do have a sweet tooth, but there are different degrees of sweet. When Ayurveda talk about sweet foods, we're mainly referring to grains such as rice, bulgur, and barley. Vegetables and many root vegetables are also sweet in taste. Pumpkin, sweet potato, beetroot, and carrots are all sweet, nourishing and grounding. 
On occasion though, I have something sweeter. I then make sure it contains natural ingredients and sweeteners. The recipe below is altered from a recipe in Janesh Vaidya's book, "Food is my medicine". 

I baked this delicious little thing a few weeks ago when my talented friend Miabella launched the beauty platform SMUK London. SMUK has by now grown into a stunning beauty salon in London, Belgravia.

The cake serves 12-15 people and is free from gluten and refined sugar. It is best eaten in small portions in the early afternoon when digestion is strong. Since chocolate, ginger and lime are all slightly heating, avoid when pitta dosha is high or when you generally feel heated in your body or digestive system. 

BASE

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  • 500 g blanched almonds (soak your raw ones overnight and peel to avoid the tannic acid in the peel)
  • 20 medjool dates
  • 1 dl (1/2 cup) raw organic cacao

 

MIDDLE

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  • 300 g of your choice of nuts. I use hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, macadamias, almonds or cashewnuts. 
  • 2-3 tbs grated ginger
  • 3 tbs maple syrup
  • 2-3 tbs fresh pressed lime

TOP

  • 1-2 dl (1/2- 3/4 cups) coconut oil
  • 1 dl (1/2 cup) raw organic cacao
  • 2-3 tbs grated ginger
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  1. BASE: Mix the blanched almonds in a food processor or strong blender. Add the dates and the cacao. Spread out the mixture in a round shaped form with removable sides. Notice how the texture feels and put loads of love and good intentions into the cake when you handle it.
     
  2. MIDDLE: Run the nuts, the grated ginger (I have one of these brilliant tools: ginger grater), the syrup and the lime juice in a mixer or food processor. Add it on top of the base layer.
     
  3. TOP: Put a bit of water in a pot and start heating it up on your stove. Cover the pot with a deep metal bowl or plate, make sure the steam does not get into the bowl. Add the coconut oil to the bowl and let it melt. Add the cacao and the grated ginger and stir it in. Mix to a smooth paste and pour it on top of the cake. 
     
  4. Keep the cake cold and let it harden. Decorate with rose petals, crushed nuts or something beautiful you can find like an edible flower. 
Lisa Åkesson