While I believe life is all about balance, and I love working with cakes and candy in my food art, I don’t typically eat a lot of sugar. I do like to end each day with something sweet though, so I started creating these cakes as a way to satisfy my sweet tooth without the guilt :). They are super simple to make, and have a wonderful creamy texture that reminds me of cheesecake (minus the dairy).

Easter and my birthday were within a few days of each other this year, so I made this particular Pusheen cake to celebrate both with all my favorite things combined into one – cake, Pusheen, bunnies, chocolate eggs, and lemon. I could probably eat lemon raw cakes every day forever lol, but this time I decided to change it up slightly by adding frozen strawberries to the top layer, and I think this might just be the best flavor I’ve come up with yet! The strawberries help to balance and slightly sweeten the bright, tart flavor of the citrus – like a freshly squeezed glass of strawberry lemonade. The bunny decorations were made using naturally colored marzipan and dark chocolate, and the chicks were piped with a coconut cashew buttercream from one of my most loved cookbooks.

Ingredients: (makes 1 9″ cake)

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Almond Crust:

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup almond flour

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (you can also use pink Himalayan)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut chips (or flakes)

2 medjool dates, pitted*

7 drops liquid stevia*

2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted

9″ Springform Pan

*You can double the amount of dates to sweeten more (and skip the stevia)

Cake Filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked for a minimum of 3 hours

2 cans or cartons full fat coconut milk

1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Juice of 6 medium sized lemons

Liquid Stevia to taste (I used about 8 drops)

Lemon Layer:

Pinch turmeric powder or natural yellow food coloring for color

Strawberry Layer:

3 cups frozen strawberries

Speckle Decoration:

Beet juice or natural red food coloring

Small food-safe paintbrush

1 tablespoon cacao powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. You will need to soak your cashews for the filling. Stir 1/2 tablespoon Celtic or Himalayan pink salt into 4 cups filtered water in a medium size glass bowl. Add the 2 cups of raw cashews, cover with a thin kitchen towel and allow the bowl to sit on the counter for 3 hours. Before using the cashews rinse and drain them 3 times or until the water is clear.
2. To make the crust, prep your springform pan by lightly greasing it with melted coconut oil. Place the crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process for about 1 minute, or until the ingredients start to stick together (you can leave the raw almonds a bit chunky for more crunch).
3. Add the crust to the bottom of your springform pan, and firmly press it down using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a small drinking glass. Transfer to the freezer while making the filling.
4. Place the filling ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. I like to work my way up to high and then let it blend on high for 1 minute to get the right consistency.
5. Evenly divide the filling into 2 bowls or measuring cups. Add the turmeric powder or natural yellow food coloring to half of the filling, and stir to combine. Pour the yellow layer over your crust and return the cake to your freezer for 90 minutes or more before adding the strawberry layer (you just want the yellow lemon layer to be set enough that the strawberry layer stays separate when poured on top).
6. To make the strawberry layer, pour the leftover half of the filling back into your blender and add the strawberries. Blend until smooth. You can store this filling in the refrigerator until you are ready to pour it over the lemon layer.
7. After adding both layers to the cake return it to the freezer and allow it to set for at least 4 hours or overnight. You can then keep it in the freezer, and allow the cake to come to room temperature before eating, or you can transfer the cake to the refrigerator.
8. The speckled design is made by dipping the food-safe brush into beet juice, pulling back the bristles slightly, and “flicking” the color onto the cake. You can also do a chocolate speckle by mixing the cacao powder and vanilla extract in a bowl and then repeating with the brush.