3 Simple No-Bake Vegan Cake Recipes
Working with botanical ingredients opens the door for creating recipes that are nourishing, tasty, and beautifully colorful. In this post, I share three recipes for gluten-free, dairy-free botanical vegan cake recipes: mango banana, raw cocoa, and lemon coconut. These cakes are not baked but are more of a cheesecake consistency.
Each recipe is raw and vegan and made from whole food ingredients, along with special herbal additions. Adding flower petals and other edible toppings adds a festive accent to these delicious cakes and offers another way to appreciate and benefit from these gorgeous edible herbs and superfoods.
3 Vegan Cake Recipes
Mango Banana Tropical Cake
Get ready for a botanical cake with a fruity, tropical flare! Turmeric (Curcuma longa) further adds to the brilliant, cheerful yellow hue and health benefits of this tasty treat.
Mango Banana Tropical Cake
The cashews, almonds, and coconut oil provide a creamy base to this cake, while mango, lemon, banana, and dates combine to offer both sweetness and a touch of tartness.
100 grams Medjool dates
75 grams almonds
pinch of sal
65 grams coconut oil
160 grams unsalted cashew nuts
juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) extract
25 grams coconut sugar
150 grams fresh mango
A pinch of turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome, dried
1/2 of a banana
- For the crust, put the dates and almonds in a high quality food processor with a pinch of salt and grind until fine. Pour this into the spring form pan and press it down well.
- If coconut oil is in a solid state, heat it on low and place in a food processor once melted.
- Add cashews, lemon juice, vanilla, coconut sugar, mango, turmeric, and banana to the food processor and process with coconut oil until smooth.
- Pour this mixture on top of the crust.
- Cover and freeze.
- To serve, remove from the freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Slice and enjoy.
Raw Cocoa Herbal Cake
This botanical cake combines the richness of cocoa with the creaminess of coconut milk and nuts.
Raw Cocoa Herbal Cake
Adaptogenic and immune-system boosting benefits of tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), and chaga (Inonotus obliquus) are added to the creaminess of this cake.
165 milliliters coconut milk
1 tablespoon raw cocoa
10 almonds
10 pecans
10 hazelnuts
1 teaspoon tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) leaf, powdered
1 banana
1 teaspoon reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) fruiting body
1 dash of powdered extract of chaga (Inonotus obliquus) (optional)
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon hemp seeds
- Blend all ingredients in a food processor.
- Pour the mixture into a pan.
- Cover and freeze.
- To serve, remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Slice and enjoy.
Lemon Coconut Cake
What treat rivals lemon squares? How about a vegan botanical lemon coconut cake?!
Lemon Coconute Cake
This cake combines the tartness of lemons with the sweetness of dates and coconut. Almonds, coconut oil, and cashews offer heft and creaminess.
100 grams Medjool dates
75 grams almonds
pinch of salt
nut oil
160 grams unsalted cashew nuts
juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) extract
25 grams of coconut sugar
150 grams coconut flakes
1/5 teaspoon lemon zest
- For the crust, put the dates and almonds in a strong food processor with a pinch of salt and grind fine. Pour this into the spring form pan and press it down well.
- If coconut oil is in a solid state, heat it on low heat and place in a food processor once melted.
- Add cashews, lemon juice, vanilla, coconut sugar, coconut flakes, and lemon zest to the food processor and process with the coconut oil until smooth.
- Pour this on top of the crust.
- Cover and freeze.
- To serve, remove from the freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Slice and enjoy.
Topping It Off
Get creative with topping these gluten-free, dairy-free botanical cakes! I am fond of using herbal ingredients like Indian cherries (Malpighia emarginata), calendula (Calendula officinalis) flowers, violet (Viola spp.) blossoms, pumpkin seeds, and goji (Lycium barbarum) berries (which you see in the photographs). You can also choose from whatever local and seasonal edible flowers, seeds, berries, or herbs you have handy. Decorating these raw vegan dessertss is a wonderful way to enjoy the intersection between culinary creativity and visual art. Try making one (or all) of these good-for-you cakes for a birthday, special occasion, or a “just because” treat.
Other creative recipes by Lieke:
- How to Make Botanical Vegan Pancakes Inspired by the Colors of Nature
- Moon-Inspired Herbal Pancakes and Cookies
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