Our Birthday Cake

(Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Raw, Vegan Option)

This is my standard birthday cake - it is super easy, flexible and healthy.  Best of all it works for most diets except for nut allergies.  Because it is such a flexible recipe, I have included lots of options below - be creative and please let me know what works for you!

The Base:

• 8 dates (unless they are very hard, no need to soak)
  
• 1/2 cup of nuts (cashews, macadamia, almonds, etc...)
  
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  
• 2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
  

Put in a food processor and blend.
Put in a pie dish or tray and mash down until evenly flat on the bottom.
Put in freezer or fridge

Middle Layer:
Option 1 - chocolate pudding

• 4 ripe bananas
  
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
  
• 1 Tablespoon raw cocoa powder

Option 2 - Banana and peach custard

• 2 ripe bananas
  
• 1-2 ripe peaches or mangoes (use more if you want to omit the bananas)
  
• 2 Tablespoons of coconut butter (use more for thicker custard)
  
• 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla

Put in a blender and blend until smooth, then add on top of the base layer.
As an option you can layer some sliced fruit between the two layers.
Put back in fridge

Top Layer:
Option 1 - Whipped Coconut Cream (vegan)

• 2 small boxes of coconut cream - cooled in fridge
  
• 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract
  
• 1 Tablespoon of raw cacao powder (optional if you want chocolate flavored cream)

Option 2 - Fresh Whipped Cream (dairy)

• 1 cup of fresh cream - cooled in fridge
  
• 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract
  
• 1 Tablespoon of raw cacao powder (optional if you want chocolate flavored cream)

Right before serving, whip until light and fluffy (I use an electric whisk) 
Add to cake right away, then serve

If I do the whipped top layer, I like putting berries on top and making it look even prettier that way.

If I do just the 'custard' on top, then I can skip the whipped layer. It is really nice to do a pretty pattern of fruit or even a fruit mosaic on top.

I love sharing recipes, and over the years have shared this with a few friends.  Many of my friends are much more creative in the kitchen than I am, and make great changes to the recipes.  In fact, the custard filling was created by my friend Susan, (on Twitter @alohazen). Susan asked me for a raw vegan cake recipe, and I gave her this one which she modified by creating the custard option.  Here is a photo of her final piece of work which was devoured by her colleagues:

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Credits: 
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/05/13/ridiculously-easy-chocolate-pie-crust/