Tag Archives: raw pie

Strawberry Chocolate Torte – a Summer Treat!

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It’s summer! – at least for us on the Southern half of this planet 🙂

That means an abundance of local, fresh, ripe fruit, especially berries! What better to do than to whip up a yummy chocolate torte with it?! Make sure you use organic or spray-free berries though, as the ‘conventionally’ grown ones can hold a lot of pesticides.

Raw Chocolate Strawberry Torte

Should you happen to not dwell on the strawberry side of the globe this torte is easily made with orange slices, bananas or even pears. For a more decadent crust feel free to replace the shredded coconut with macadamia nuts and make sure to sprinkle some bits over the top! B.T.W. the torte below was made in a spring form.

Orange Chocolate Torte

This recipe was introduced to me by my dear friend Matt Samuelson in 2004 and has been a staple in my dessert repertoire ever since.

And here we go!

Strawberry Chocolate Torte
Serves 8

For the crust:

  • 1.5c shredded coconut
  • 1.5c cashews
  • 4-6 Medjool dates, pitted
  • Pinch cayenne pepper

For the filling:

  • 3 avocados, peeled, pit removed
  • 1T vanilla extract
  • 5T organic cocoa powder, raw if you prefer
  • 1/2c Rapadura, raw cane sugar
  • a few drops lemon or lime juice
  • 1 punnet (500g) fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
  • To make the crust, in a food processor grind the shredded coconut into a fine powder. Add the cashews and cayenne pepper. Continue processing to a coarse meal.
  • Add the pitted dates and homogenize until the texture resembles a graham cracker crust. Mixture should be loose and crumbly, yet hold together when pressed tightly.
  • Press the crust into a 9 inch ungreased pie plate. Press firmly to get the crust to hold together. Place it in the freezer or refrigerator to set up while making the filling.
  • To make the filling: place the avocados, vanilla, cocoa and Rapadura in a food processor with the “S” blade and homogenize until completely smooth. Make sure to add a little splash of lemon or lime juice! It will nicely balance the flavours in your chocolate. (Just don’t tell anyone! ;-))
  • To assemble: Divide the filling into 3 equal parts. Spread a thin layer of filling on top of the crust. Next, place a layer of strawberries on the filling. Spread another layer of chocolate filling on top of the strawberries, and then layer more strawberries, another layer of filling and the remainder of the berries.
  • Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving.

Be sure to use a very sharp knife, yes VERY sharp!, when cutting this torte. The strawberries have a tendency to slide all over the place when cut with a dull knife.

Strawberry Chocolate Torte

Enjoy!

René
🙂

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Orgasmic Blueberry Pie – a raw revelation

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And here is another all-time favourite of mine. A raw pie that works with all kind of fruit. Any frozen berry will do, although I prefer organic strawberries or blueberries because of their small seeds. Ripe pears with ginger work well, persimmons are great, so is kiwifruit. Just make sure you add enough lime or lemon juice to counter balance the fruit sugar and the sweetness of the crust.

The proper ratio for the psyllium husk powder is 1 Tbsp per 2 cups of mixture. Add last and blend well. Then quickly pour the filling. It will solidify in less than 5min. After about 30min the pie will hold up nicely when you lift it out of the pie form. If you can’t get psyllium husk powder just buy normal psyllium husks and grind them into a fine powder in your blender. It will jelly into a more homogenous texture than the whole psyllium husks.

Once you get the hang of this pie 15 min preparation time + 30 min resting time in the refrigerator should be the norm. The best thing about raw pies and cakes: they never burn! 🙂

Orgasmic Blueberry PieOrgasmic Blueberry Pie

Serves 8

Crust¨

  • 200g shredded coconut
  • 200g raw cashews
  • 2 Tbsp light honey or raw agave nectar
  • ¼ tsp lemon juice

Filling

  • 750g frozen organic blueberries, defrosted
  • 6 organic Medjool dates, pitted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp Psyllium husk powder (1Tbsp per 2 cups of liquid)
  • ½ mango or pineapple, finely diced for garnish
  1. To make the crust, in a food processor grind the coconut into a fine powder. Add the cashews and continue processing till they are broken down finely. Add the honey/agave nectar and lemon juice and process till the mixture sticks together.
  2. Press into a pie form with removable bottom.
  3. To make filling blend the defrosted blueberries with the dates, vanilla extract and lime juice to a smooth liquid consistency. Add the Psyllium husk powder and blend shortly to distribute evenly throughout the mixture.
  4. Pour filling onto crust. Tap pie form a few times to let air bubbles escape and to distribute filling evenly. Smooth surface with a little spatula.
  5. Refrigerate before serving and garnish with mango or pineapple.

Enjoy!

René

🙂