Raw, Vegan Chocolate Orange Torte

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup (160g) raw whole almonds
1/2 cup (80g) firmly packed chopped pitted dates, plus more as needed
1/4 cup (18g) cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

Filling:

1 cup (240ml) coconut oil in liquid form
1 cup (240ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup (180ml) raw agave nectar
1/2 cup (35g) cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups (420g) raw unsalted cashews, soaked
1/4 tsp orange extract
pinch of Celtic sea salt
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
Cashew cream to garnish (optional)
Shaved vegan chocolate, to garnish (optional)
Finely grated orange zest, to garnish (optional)

Method

Crust:

Grease a 9- or 10-inch (23 or 25cm) spring form pan with coconut oil.

Put the almonds, dates, and cacao powder into your food processor and process until well combined and the mixture forms a dough.

Form the dough into a ball. (If the dough doesn’t hold together, you may need to add more dates and process again.) Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside.

Filling:

Put all of the ingredients into your Vitamix in the order listed and blend for 2 - 3 minutes, until rich and creamy. To achieve the smoothest filling, stop the machine periodically and scrape down the sides of the container.

Pour the filling into the crust. Cover the pan with aluminium foil and freeze the torte for 8 hours.

Serve:

Transfer the pan from the freezer to the fridge at least 11/2 hours before serving; let the torte defrost in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Remove the sides of the springform pan and then cut the torte into slices with a very sharp knife. Keeping the slices together, return the torte to the fridge to continue defrosting for at least an hour before serving.

Note: Because of the coconut oil, this filling will melt if left out at room temperature.

Credits: Tess Masters

Photo Credits: Susan Stitt