This is the best recipe.
Raw Easter Coconut Cake
Created by Jackie Graff
Sprout Raw Food
Serves 12
Cake
2 teaspoons vanilla powder or flavoring
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw agave nectar
5 cups coconut, freshly chopped in food processor (reserving 1 cup to top cake)
3 cups almonds soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
1. Place coconut meat in food processor and process until finely chopped.
2. Add vanilla powder and salt to the coconut mixture and process.
3. Add agave nectar and process until mixed well and place in a bowl.
4. Process almonds to flour and add to mixture, mixing well, by hand.
5. Press ½ of mixture into an 8-10 inch plastic lined cake pan and turn over on a serving plate.
6. Top with ¼ inch of frosting and some of the chopped coconut.
7. Press the other ½ of mixture into an 8-10 inch plastic lined cake pan and turn over on top of first frosted layer.
8. Generously spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake and cover with rest of dry coconut.
Cake Frosting
1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked for 8 hours and drained
½ cup raw agave nectar
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ vanilla bean
1 ½ cups young coconut water
1-cup young coconut meat
¼ cup coconut butter
1 tablespoon psyllium
1 cup fresh dry coconut meat, chopped fine
1. Place the macadamia nuts, agave nectar, salt, vanilla bean, and young coconut water into a blender and process until smooth.
2. Add the young coconut meat and coconut butter, blending well.
3. Add psyllium blending well and stir in dry coconut meat.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes to thicken.
5. Generously spread frosting over cake and cover with finely chopped dry coconut meat
Nest of Coconut Eggs
Nest
1 cup fresh dry coconut meat, chopped fine
3/4 teaspoon of Barley Max to color the nest green
* using gloves makes it easier to make the nest and eggs.
1.Toss the coconut meat and green powder together by hand to evenly distribute color.
2. Make a nest in the center of the cake with this green colored coconut, with an indention in the middle.
Eggs
1 cup coconut butter
½ cup agave nectar
½ vanilla bean
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups fresh dry coconut meat, chopped fine and frozen for thirty minutes.
For coloring agents use small amounts of Beet Max, Carrot Max, and turmeric for coloring the eggs pastel pink, orange, and yellow.
1. Blend coconut butter, agave, vanilla bean, and sea salt and add the frozen coconut, hand mix and divide into three bowls.
2. Color each bowl of mixture with a small amount of the coloring powders mixing well. Beet Max (1/8 teaspoon), Carrot Max (2 teaspoons), and turmeric (½ teaspoon).
3. Refrigerate these for 15 minutes, or place in the freezer for 5 minutes, which will make this mixture firm.
4 This mixture should be firm enough to roll into small balls or “eggs”, not hard. If not firm enough, refrigerate a little longer.
5. Place the eggs on a plate and back in the refrigerator to harden and arrange in the green nest. There should be enough eggs to place around the cake.
6. Garnish with edible violets (we have wild organic violets growing in our yard).
* This cake will keep covered for a week in refrigeration. When transporting, just make sure the temp remains 72 degrees or below, which will keep the coconut butter from melting.
• For easy opening of young coconuts get our “Nuts about Coconuts” DVD including many other great recipes for coconut. If you cannot find young coconuts, we can ship frozen young coconut meat and frozen young coconut water, go to www.sproutrawfood.org for items that we can ship.
• We have a great price on vanilla beans and will include a recipe for Vanilla Powder with an order.
Jackie’s Vegetable and Fruit of the Month Club
Each month I will feature a vegetable and fruit of the month that is in season, highlighting the nutritional values, selecting the best specimens, preparation techniques, storage, and provide some delicious recipes and ideas for serving. Fruits and vegetables are the best when they are in season. I find it exciting to look forward to the coming season of my favorites.
Join my Vegetable and Fruit of the Month Club for delicious ways to serve in season fruit and vegetables. To order, please email me at jackie@sproutrawfood.org
Coconut
I chose coconut because it has been traditionally eaten at Easter. Coconuts and coconut oil are high in lauric acid, a component of mother’s milk, which is converted by the body into compounds with antiviral, antimicrobial and antifungal properties, according to Dr. Mary Enig**, Ph.D. These properties have lead to research on the potential benefits of coconut oil in the treatment of HIV, SARS, and other viral ailments.
Because coconut oil is, in large part, made up of medium chain triglycerides, it doesn’t have to be broken down in the digestive tract like other fats and can immediately be used by the body as fuel. This makes it ideal for people with slow metabolism or low thyroid (hypothyroidism) and for people with Crohn’s Disease, colitis and other digestive disorders who normally have problems digesting fats.
Since coconut oil is burned by the body as fuel rather than being stored as fat it’s ideal for those interested in weight loss. Dr. Bruce Fife writes that coconut oil is good for diabetics since it not only does not contribute to the disease but in fact helps control blood sugar. A number of other references refer to the use of coconut oil in combating chronic fatigue, candida, and parasites as well as for skin and hair care.
Coconut oil is truly an ideal food: it is not hydrogenated, contains no trans fats and is very stable with a long shelf life.
The best way to keep from getting sick may be boosting your immune system. A healthy immune system is a more reasonably approach than trying to systematically destroy or protect yourself from all the germs in your world. That being said, it's good to wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. But, a healthy immune system should be cornerstone of staying healthy and your first line of defense.
