This recipe comes from the new cookbook by Bryony and Harry Lancaster from cafe and yoga studio Egg of the Universe in Rozelle, Sydney.
Makes 30 bite-sized pieces
This has been one of the more popular sweets at the café since the beginning. We’ve played around with it over the years to get the balance of flavour right so it’s nicely rich, but not overly heavy on coconut oil as many raw desserts seem to be. This takes some time and effort so it’s well worth doing a large batch and freezing the extra in slices.
365 g (13 oz) coconut oil, plus extra for greasing 5 cups (750 g) raw cashews 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) date paste (or simply deseed and mash medjool dates) 100 g (3½ oz) tahini 400 ml (14 fl oz) brown rice syrup 100 ml (3½ fl oz) coconut milk 150 g (5½ fl oz) raw cacao powder Chia seeds, to serve
Grease a 26 cm x 36 cm (10 ½ inch x 14 ¼ inch) slice tin and line with baking paper.
To make base, melt 65 g (2¼ oz) coconut oil over a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water).
Pulse cashews in a food processor until coarsely chopped (be careful, too much and it can become a paste).
Place 250 g (9 oz) date paste in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and pour 100 ml (3½ fl oz) water over the top, stirring to combine.
Add melted coconut oil, chopped cashew and a generous pinch of salt, then beat gently to combine.
Transfer to slice tin, pressing the layer flat with the back of a spoon. Place tin in freezer for base to set.
To make middle layer, melt 150 g (5½ oz) coconut oil in the heatproof bowl as before.
Meanwhile, combine tahini and remaining 250 g (9 oz) date paste in stand mixer, then pour in melted coconut oil, mixing to combine. Add 1 cup (250 ml) brown rice syrup, followed by coconut milk. Mix well.
Once base layer has cooled, remove from freezer and spread this middle layer on top, smoothing it with a knife. Return to freezer to fi rm up.
Melt remaining 150 g (5½ oz) coconut oil in a bowl as before. Meanwhile, whisk raw cacao into 150 ml (5 fl oz) water in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in remaining 150 ml (5 fl oz) brown rice syrup, then melted coconut oil.
Remove slice from freezer and spoon this final layer over the top, smoothing with a knife.
Sprinkle with chia seeds and return to freezer to set, about 1 hour.
Once fully set, remove from freezer, gently tease whole slab from the tin and cut into squares or triangles.
Images and text from Egg of the Universe by Bryony and Harry Lancaster, photography by Alan Benson. Murdoch Books RRP $49.