Raw Pistachio Matcha & Chocolate Cake + Tips On Using Irish Moss (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free, Refined Sugar-free)

I have been looking for my perfect birthday cake for years, yet I couldn’t find any that meets all my requirements. In fact, my requirements are simple, it must be beautiful, delicious and healthy. Then I realise the only way to achieve this goal (without spending too much) is to make my own birthday cake! 🎂By so doing, not only can I put everything I love into the cake, I can also control the quality, as well as quantity of the ingredients of the cake.

One thing I couldn’t understand is that why aren’t there any raw cakes with pistachio flavors (at least in HK)? Pistachio is such a lovely kind of nuts and they taste super good! Most of my friends (or followers) might have already known that I really LOVE chocolate and matcha, so how about putting them together in my birthday cake? After all, since it’s MY birthday cake, I can do whatever I want right? 🤣 So, I decided to make a raw cake with two layers – green (pistachio & matcha) and brown (cacao maca). And for the crust, I used cacao powder and pistachio, apart from dates and pecans.

I used Irish moss for my very first time in making raw cakes asI always find the texture of raw cakes not very desiring as they melt too quick! After a little research on the web, someone suggested that adding Irish moss to the cake filling might help in making the cake firmer, having a more cake-like texture, and won’t melt so quick. The result is really satisfying, as the cake stays firm after at least 30 minutes of my photo-shooting (coz it looks so good that it worths tons of photos right?).

This recipe makes a 7″ Cake, 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

Chocolate Pistachio Crust:

1/2 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup raw shelled pistachios
7 Medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
Pinch of sea salt

Pistachio Matcha Filling:

1 1/4 cup raw cashews (soaked 4 hours or overnight)
1 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup coconut nectar
2 tsp vanilla powder
1 Tbsp matcha powder
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup Irish moss paste (recipe below)*

Chocolate Maca Filling:

1/4 cup cacao butter (or sub coconut oil)
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup coconut nectar
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup raw cacao powder
1 Tbsp drinking chocolate (I used Raiz The Bar)
1 Tbsp Maca powder (I used Organic Burst)
Pinch of sea salt

Toppings (optional):
1/4 cup chopped raw pistachios
Mango balls
Berries

*For the Irish Moss paste

• Rinse around 60g of Irish moss under cold water to remove salt on the surface
• Soak it in water overnight, changing water after the first hour of soaking
• On the next day, drain the water and give the Irish moss a last rinse
• In a high-speed blender, add the Irish moss and about 1/4 cup of water, process till well blended into a paste. Add a little bit of water if you find difficulties in getting a paste-like consistency

Directions:

For the crust:

1. Place the pecans and pistachios in a food processor until it achieves a coarse crumbly form.
2. Add other ingredients and process until it forms a dough
3. Press the mixture into the bottom of the cake pan.
4. Put the pan in the freezer while you are making the fillings.

For the matcha pistachio fillings:

1. Rinse the soaked cashews and all ingredients into your a high-speed blender (I used Vitamix) and blend until smooth. Taste it and add more coconut nectar if desired. And you can also add more water if the mixture is too thick.
2. Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the filling into the pan, on top of the crust. Gently tap the bottom of the pan to get out any bubbles. Put it back to the freezer.

For the chocolate maca filling:

1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients well.
2. Take the cake from the freezer and pour the chocolate layer over the top. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or even overnight (the longer the better!)
3. When ready to serve remove from the freezer and slice but let sit for about 15-20 minutes to thaw out before serving. Enjoy!