Eggnog & Cranberry Raw Holiday Cake

For Friendsgiving I was put in charge of bringing dessert.  Ok, I volunteered.  While I'm known for bringing raw desserts, I thought maybe for the holidays I'd bake something.  Then I realized Thanksgiving is the perfect day for raw desserts.  Here's why: When I thought about all the heavy cooked foods we would be having for dinner, I realized nobody is going to have room for yet another decadent dish.  And I was right.  By the time we finished eating, I was in the mood for something a bit more refreshing.  Fortunately, I decided to pass up the pies and took my standard cashew freezer cake to a new level by adding some holiday flavors.

The cake is one layer of salty, nutty crust, followed by a creamy dairy-free eggnog layer, topped with refreshing cranberry sauce.  So much holiday goodness in one healthy dessert.  And since it's raw, you won't have to use any valuable oven space.  You can even make it a day or so ahead.  I served this to a groups of my friends who do not usually eat raw foods and everyone loved it.

Just about everyone knows that cranberries are good for you.  Heck, cranberry juice alone can cure a UTI.  But most people only consume cranberries in the form of juice (usually pasteurized and with added sugar or corn syrup) or in cooked dishes during the holiday season.  But the majority of the vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients are in the flesh of the fruit and do not survive being cooked.  This dish is a great way to consume the whole cranberry in it's raw form. Cranberries are incredibly tart on their own, but don't worry I added plenty of honey to make them palatable.  This nutrient dense dessert is sure to please even the most skeptical guests at your holiday meal.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup raw walnuts

1 cup raw pecans

2/3 cup chopped dates

1/4 tsp celtic sea salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp water

Filling:

1 1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup pine nuts (or leave out and use 2 cups cashews)

1 vanilla bean scraped

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup organic grade B maple syrup

pinch of salt

1/3 cup almond milk

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cranberry Sauce:

1 1/4 cup frozen cranberries, thawed (this makes them softer)

2 tbsp water

2 heaping tbsp runny raw honey

1. Put all crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse until moist and crumbly.  If the mixture is too dry, add more water one tablespoon at a time.

2. Press crust into a 9 inch spring form pan and put in freezer.  If you don't have one, line a pan with plastic wrap so that the frozen cake can be removed.

3. Put all the filling ingredients into the food processor and keep mixing until smooth and creamy.  Scrape down the sides every so often to make sure everything is incorporated.  It may take a few minutes to become creamy enough.

4. Pour filling over the crust and spread evenly with a spatula.  Return to freezer.

5. Put all cranberry sauce ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth and runny.  It should be more of a smoothie texture than cranberry relish texture.  If you need to, add more water one tablespoon at a time.

6. Pour the cranberry sauce on top of the filling and smooth it out with a spatula.

7. Place in the freezer for at least two hours.  If you freeze it overnight, take out at least 45 minutes before serving to thaw.

I served it with whipped coconut cream.  You can find that recipe here.