Strawberry Chocolate Swirl Cake

What I wanted to convey is that even though this cake looks a bit fancier than usual, it’s quite easy to assemble and fun to play around with, which makes it equally suited for occasions that require an elegant treat or something casually delicious.

By Audrey, Unconditional Baker.

There are a few tips and tricks that will help you with this one though. Let’s start with the crust… See how it subtly curves towards the outer edge of the slice above? Take note! You’ll want to raise the edges just a tiny touch so that the jam layer can fit snugly inside the crust and not touch the actual rim of the cake.

The reason for this is because that layer is more fragile, and a touch more delicate than the remaining layers, so you want it to be padded with the crust around the edges.

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Speaking of that jam… although this could very well be a raw cake in every way, I actually made it using a commercial fruit-sweetened jam instead because I had some to use up. Feel free to use a raw chia jam if you prefer.
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Also feel free to swap the jam flavor — the main thing is you’ll want the color of it to pop, so reds are a good choice here (think raspberry, strawberry, etc.). A bit of tartness is nice too, which is why I added a hint of lime juice, though it’s optional.

• Prep time:  1 hour
• Cook/Chill Time:  5 hours
• Ready In:  6 hours
• Makes: 5" cake

Ingredients

Crust:

• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 soft medjool date, pitted
• ½ tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tbsp melted cacao butter

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Strawberry Layer:

• 5 tbsp strawberry jam* (see notes), at room temperature
• 1 tbsp melted cacao butter
• 1 tbsp lime juice (optional)

White Chocolate Layer:

• ¾ cup raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained**
• 5 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 5 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp melted cacao butter
• 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt

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Chocolate Layer:

• just under half of white layer mixture (see step 3)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (I recommend using alkalized***)
• 2 tbsp melted cacao butter
• 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

• Process all crust ingredients in a food processor. Transfer into a 5" springform pan and press down into a flat crust along the base, and going a tiny touch up the sides. Freeze while working on next step.
• Place the jam and melted cacao butter in a small bowl and mix together thoroughly with a fork to combine. Spoon this jam mixture in an even layer inside the crust, keeping it a touch away from the walls of the pan. Freeze while working on next step.
• To make the filling, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before starting. Blend all white layer ingredients in a high power blender until completely smooth. Pour just under half of this mixture into a little pitcher or small bowl and set aside.
• Add the chocolate layer ingredients to the remaining mixture in the blender and blend to combine. At this point draw out a little bit of this mixture (1-2 tbsp) into a cake icing pen (or spoon some into a piping bag), and set aside.

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• To layer the cake, carefully spoon half of the white mixture over the jam layer in the cake pan. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to even the layer out. Freeze for 15 mins. Then carefully and evenly spoon the chocolate layer over the white layer, tap the pan lightly on the counter to even the layer out, and freeze for another 15 mins. Then carefully spoon the remaining white layer over the chocolate layer. Use the icing pen to create swirls or patterns of your choice (see notes*****).
• Freeze the cake for 5-6 hours (or overnight) to set. Remove from pan, thaw out 5-10 minutes, slice and enjoy! Keep leftovers frozen.