Raw Vegan Neapolitan Cake
This raw vegan neapolitan ice cream cake is a delicious way to satisfy that neapolitan pastries hankering. The recipe is also gluten-free, and paleo.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6″ mini cheesecake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups cashews, pre-soaked for at least an hour or overnight
- 5 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup liquid sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)
- ½ cup coconut oil, liquified
- ¼ tsp raw ground vanilla bean (or 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract, but the ground vanilla tastes amazing)
- a pinch of salt
Additional Ingredients for Chocolate Layer:
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup liquid sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)
- 3 tbsp cocoa butter, liquified (white chocolate butter; not coconut)
Additional Ingredients for Strawberry Layer:
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
Chocolate Topping:
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp liquid sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- cacao nibs for garnish
Instructions
- Place all base ingredients in a blender (I used my Vitamix for this; a strong blender is best for smooth consistency), and blend until the mixture is smooth. Remove one third of the mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Remove an additional one third of the mixture into another bowl and set aside as well.
- Add in additional chocolate layer ingredients to the blender. Blend until smooth. Using a spatula, scrape out contents into a small springform pan. Smooth out into an even layer. Place the pan in the freezer and allow it to chill for at least 10-15 minutes before adding the next layers (it helps with keeping the layers from mixing up).
- In the meantime, rinse out the blender. Add the base mixture from one of the bowls that were set aside in step one into the blender. Add the strawberries and blend until smooth. Once the chocolate layer has chilled a bit, remove the pan from the freezer. Carefully pour the strawberry mixture on top of the chocolate layer, trying not to press down too hard to avoid the layers from mixing up. Smooth out the strawberry layer carefully and place the pan back in the freezer for an additional 10-15 minutes to chill.
- In the meantime prepare the chocolate topping by following the directions in this DIY Vegan Magic Shell Recipe (except, as per the ingredients above, you’re only making half of that recipe for this cake).
- Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the remaining third of the original base mixture (from the bowl that was set aside in step one) over the strawberry layer. Once again do this carefully to avoid the layers from mixing up. Smooth out the layer gently with a spatula.
- Pour the chocolate topping over the vanilla layer. Top with some cacao nibs. Place in the freezer to firm up for at least 2-3 hours.
Notes
{Note: I actually added a bit more of the strawberry mixture on top of the final chocolate topping (before topping with cacao nibs) — it felt wasteful to leave whatever I couldn’t scrape out of the strawberry layer in the blender (since it was so yummy), so I added 2 tbsp almond milk to it and blended it quickly, which made it more runny. I then transferred the mixture into a small drizzling bottle and drizzled it on top. This part is totally optional, but it does add a whimsical effect to the cake}
Store the cake in the freezer, but leave it out for 15 minutes to thaw out prior to serving. Or serve straight from the freezer for a neapolitan ice-cream cake. Enjoy!