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Blood Orange Pecan Date Cake

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Refreshing and light tasting Raw Blood Orange Pecan Date Cake

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

It’s not very often that the end flavor of a recipe surprises me. When I am creating recipes in my head, I have a pretty good idea about the outcome.  This cake was no different until I took a bite of it.  I was pleasantly surprised with the combination of the depth of cardamon, the warmth of the pecans, and the freshness of citrus.  The cake turned out so refreshing and light tasting.

I have been slowly working on creating more recipes that don’t require dehydration.  Not because I am impatient, but because I am thinking of you.  This recipe can be made in stages.  The base of the cake can be made and frozen well ahead of time.

The frosting will last about 3-5 days. I don’t recommend assembling the cake until the day of serving. But only because we are dealing with fresh fruit on top, which will release some juice and cause a little discoloration of the frosting.

Speaking of fruit, you could use just about any fruit that is in season; I will say however that the blood orange/orange flavors were quite amazing when paired with this cake.

Blood oranges get their name from the  “bloody” pigment found within the fruit called anthocyanin which is widely found in the plant kingdom.  It appears as the red found in cherries, red cabbage, as well as the blue in blueberries and even purple found in pansies and eggplants.   That all sounds fine and dandy, but what the heck is anthocyanin?

Anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant and studies show that it can slow or prevent the growth of cancer cells–and even kill them.  Blood oranges also contain high amounts of Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin A, iron, calcium, and even fiber.

The blood oranges originated in Sicily and Spain.  I would just love to visit a blood orange orchard.  (hint hint).   These days they are grown in the United States, Texas, and California.  But I think it would great to see exactly where they originated.  (hint hint).  hehe

Glorious looking and heavenly tasting Raw Blood Orange Pecan Date CakeIngredients:

Yields 6” cake round

Dry ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

Frosting: 

Garnish:

Preparation:

Cake:

  1. Place the pecans in the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, and pulse into a small crumble.
  2. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt.  Pulse together, so everything gets well dispersed.   Pour into a medium-sized bowl.
  3. Add the date paste, coconut oil, sweetener, and vanilla.  With your hands mix everything together.
  4. Place the batter in a 6” Springform pan.  If you don’t have one, line a regular baking pan with plastic wrap before adding the dough.  This will make it easier to remove.  Press the batter firmly and evenly into the pan.  No dehydration is required.  Place in the fridge or freezer until you make the frosting is ready to frost with.

Frosting:

  1. Create the frosting and slide it into the fridge for 4+ hours to firm up.  You can use it right away, but it will be quite soft.
  2. Spread a layer of frosting on top of the cake.  You can frost the sides as well, but I liked the rustic look, exposing the texture of the cake.

Garnish:

  1. Top the cake with slices of blood oranges and pop in a few springs of mint.  See photos below.
  2. I suggest decorating the cake, the day you plan on serving it.  The oranges will release juice into the frosting if left unattended too long. :)

 

Press the cake batter firmly and evenly into a 6” pan.

Press the cake batter firmly and evenly into a 6” pan

Make the Raw Coconut Orange Whipped Cream Frosting.

Delicious Raw Coconut Orange Whipped Cream Frosting

Spread a layer of frosting on top of the cake.  You can decorate the sides if you wish.
I loved the rustic feel, showcasing the texture of the Pecan Date Cake.

Spread a layer of frosting on top of the cake

Cut thin slices of oranges, then cut in half.  Fan the slices around the cake.

Fan the slices around the cake

Poke a few sprigs of mint around the cake and enjoy.

sprigs of mint around the cake and ready to enjoy

 

A divine slice of Raw Blood Orange Pecan Date Cake, so inspiring

30 thoughts on “Blood Orange Pecan Date Cake

  1. Deb Kelly says:

    You are amazing. Can’t wait to make this cake.Your love for what you are doing shows in every recipe, photo, and your fun jargon. Thanks so much for sharing your joy and talents to make us all healthy and happy.

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Deb, I am happy that you can see my passion throughout each recipe. :) It brings me so much joy. Have a splendid Monday that is full of happiness. amie sue

  2. Jerily says:

    Thought you should read an article about agave syrup. It is not a healthful food. It’s worse than high fructose corn syrup!
    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food.aspx

    • amie-sue says:

      I have read so many reports Jerily… the good and the bad. I appreciate that you pointed this out. Here is some more reading http://www.xagave.com/dispelling-agave-myths.html. We don’t consume a lot of agave. I use a wide range of raw and natural sweeteners in our home and we eat them all in moderation… making the best choices that we can. Have a wonderful week, amie sue

  3. Sarah says:

    This looks amazing. Why do you soak and then dehydrate the pecans? Could you do this just using pecans without soaking and dehydrating first?

    • amie-sue says:

      Good evening Sarah,

      If you click on the link in the recipe list, right next to the pecans, it will take you to a post that I wrote as to why we should soak nuts and seeds. I then dehydrated them so they would be dry for the purpose of the cake texture. If you have any further questions after reading that post, just let me know so I can better help you. Blessings and have a wonderful day. amie sue

  4. Kathy says:

    Oh my…this cake is so beautiful…I love that it looks so moist …I know it will be moist and delicious …thank you so much for sharing your lovely talents with us.

    • amie-sue says:

      Your welcome Kathy. I have a feeling that you will really like this cake. Please keep me posted if you try it. Have a glorious day when you get this message. amie sue

  5. Louise says:

    What can I use in place of he almond flour, my daughter is allergic to almonds.

  6. michelle says:

    Wow. Beautiful.

  7. Kim Arkusinski says:

    Hi, I was wondering if you have another suggestion for the coconut orange whipped topping? I am not a fan of oranges. The pecan cake looks heavenly!

    Thank you

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Kim,

      Well, you can make just about any frosting for that cake if you are not a orange fan. If you want to keep it in the citrus family, how about lemon? You can even leave out the flavoring and have a real nice, slightly sweet frosting that would easily compliment the cake flavors. :) Sweet dreams, amie sue

  8. Evelyn says:

    Hi!
    That cake looks delicious! But I only have white flour and pecan flour. Can I use both Or just with the pecan flour would be ok?
    Thanks!

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Evelyn.

      When you say white flour are you referring to gluten, regular flour? If so, I don’t recommend that at all. Pecan flour can work just fine… is it raw or a process flour? amie sue

      • Evelyn says:

        Hi!
        I have bleached white flour I guess it’s processed flour :/
        Do you have a recipe where I can use pecan flour. (I made the pecan flour myself:)
        Thanks so much!
        T

        • amie-sue says:

          Hello Evelyn,

          Yes, bleached white flour is heavily processed. It is void nutrients and I don’t recommend using it. Pecan flour can be used in so many of my recipes. All depends on what you would like to make… it can be used in raw cakes, crackers and breads. Just replace perhaps any almond flours with it. It will change up the flavor profiles but in most cases it will still taste wonderful. If you are ever in question as to where you can use it… make a comment on the bottom of a recipe that inspires you and I will let you know. :) Blessings, amie sue

  9. Patricia says:

    When I use the print the recipe button, it deletes the dry ingredient section. Any ideas? Thanks

    • amie-sue says:

      Hmm that is odd. I would suggest rebooting your computer or at least trying a different search engine such as chrome or firefox. I just printing some recipes yesterday and didn’t have any issues. Try those suggestions and then let me know if it fixes it or not. amie sue

  10. Gayle says:

    Hi Amie Sue,
    I made this cake and it was good but a bit dry. Is it possible I over-processed the nuts and flour?

    • amie-sue says:

      Hmm well there could be many things that we could look at Gayle…

      Did you use store bought or homemade coconut flour (like the link I provided)? If you used store bought, it is too drying and will suck up moisture.
      Did you dehydrate it at all or leave it uncovered for a time being?
      Did it feel dry and crumbly when you first made the batter? If so, and this goes for many recipes, you can always add a small amount of water to it so it moistens up. Start with 1 Tbsp of water at a time.

      Keep me posted, Have a great evening, amie sue

      • Gayle says:

        I did use store bought coconut flour. Hmmm. :( Didn’t dehydrate. The flavor was good though and we just finished it up tonight. Next time will do what you suggest. Thanks for getting back to me. Have a super weekend.

        • amie-sue says:

          I am guessing it was the store bought coconut flour Gayle. Next time, make the homemade coconut flour… click on the link that I provided in the ingredient list. I bet you that was the problem. Sweet dreams, amie sue :)

  11. Ma says:

    Hi Sue :)
    Ive trying to choose a cake for a birthday.
    No cacao and id like it to be multilayered… i thought a pecan or wanut cake would be nice. Could i layer this cake? What would you suggest? Or another cake…?

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