This spicy brownie cake is always a hit at events, and its most recent appearance also persuaded one guest that her aversion to walnuts maybe wasn't as universal as she'd previously thought!
This isn't our own recipe. Please go to the bottom of the page for the relevant reference.
Ingredients
4 Cups Walnuts
⅔ Cup raisins
⅔ Cup dates
⅔ Cup cacao powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp powdered star anise
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
Approx 2 tbsp water
Frosting Ingredients
½ Cup maple syrup or coconut blossom nectar
¼ Cup melted coconut oil
⅔ Cup cacao powder
Method
If you’re grinding star anise for this recipe, be sure to grind it first in nut / seed grinder so there are no hard pieces in the cake.
- Put the walnuts into a processor and process to a mealy consistency (over-processing releases too much oil from the nuts)
- Add dates and raisins and process to combine.
- Add cacao powder, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla and cayenne and process again until you have a sticky but crumbly result
- Transfer to a bowl. Add water and mix well either with your hands or a spoon
Spread out in a cake tin (20 x 20 cm) with a removable base, press down firmly across the surface and make it smooth.
- Put it in the fridge while you make the frosting
To make the frosting, simply whisk all the ingredients together either by hand or in a small blender and pour evenly over the top of the cake. Let it set in the fridge where it should keep between 4 days and a week. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
A few final notes: The spice amounts here are on the reserved side, simply adjust according to your own taste.
Perhaps not surprisingly, halving the ingredients to make a smaller cake works just as well.
We have made only minor alterations to the original recipe by Judita Wignall in her book Going Raw. She calls this recipe Mexican Spiced Brownie and like all of her recipes, at least those we've tried so far, it works!
