It's nearly the first day of Spring in Melbourne and there's no better way to celebrate than with a light and fresh sweet by Panacea's Pantry! One thing I love about Spring and Summer is that all my favourite fruits are in season! Strawberries are definitely one of my favourites and I especially love going to the Sunny Ridge strawberry farm to pick strawberries over the summer!
This beautiful Raw Cream Strawberry Slice is the perfect recipe to celebrate Spring with! It's Gluten Free, Vegan and refined sugar free and is also full of wholesome and healthy ingredients that contain essential fats, healthy carbs and lots of fibre!
We hope you enjoy the start of Spring with this incredibly delicious recipe!!
Ingredients
Base
1 1/3 cup (160g) pecan meal (or weigh whole pecans and grind in food processor)
1/3 cup (35g) cacao powder (or cocoa)
1/2 cup (45g) shredded coconut
10 (250g) Medjool dates, pitted
2 Tbsp (30g) coconut oil, melted*
Strawberry cream filling 2 cups (300g) raw cashews, soaked 4 hours 1 cup (150g) fresh strawberries, hulled 1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup (125g) coconut milk 1/4 cup (70g) coconut oil, melted* 2 Tbsp (30ml) pure maple syrup (optional) To serve; 1 punnet strawberries
Instructions
Grease and line a 8 (15cm) inch square cake tin, and set aside. I line mine with compostable baking paper, so I recommend that if you don’t have a spring form tin.
Make the base
Add pecan meal, cacao powder and coconut to a food processor and pulse to form an even crumb. The crumbs should be around match head size or a little bigger. Add dates and coconut oil, and pulse until you have a sticky dough. To test if the dough has the right moisture content pick up a small amount and squeeze it together. It should easily compress and hold together but not be so sticky that you have to peel it off your hand. If its too dry add another date, and if its too wet add a little more cacao. Press base into lined pan, taking time to ensure you get an even layer. Set aside.
Make the filling
Drain cashews, then place in (high-speed *see notes) blender with remaining filling ingredients. Blend on high until silky smooth, then pour over base. It is a good idea to stop half way through and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid lumps in the mix.
Freeze slice for 2 hours, then move to the fridge to set overnight. When you’re ready to serve, top with chopped, fresh strawberries (you can press the berries into the filling, or simply layer on top**), then slice and enjoy. *see notes
Store in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer. Store without strawberries, as they will only keep for 12 hours, or if you want a longer lasting option use raspberries not top (see notes). Slice will store in the freezer fro up to 1 month.
Notes
If you don’t have a high speed blender, just a regular one, thats ok. It will still work you just wont get the creamy texture as pictured. Likewise, you can make the filling with a food processor but note the the filling wont be as creamy and lush.
Melt coconut oil over a low flame, and allow to cool for 5 minutes before using in the recipe
As the cut berries will only last 12 hours, it is recommended to only serve as needed. The slice will last for 4-5 days in an air-tight container in the fridge, without the fresh berries. DO NOT put strawberries nit the slice before freezing as the texture of the strawberries after being defrosted is not nice.
To make a raspberry option You can easily substitute the strawberries for raspberries here, and in fact this makes for a much easier option when it comes to serving. Follow the recipe as written (simply subbing strawberries for raspberry) then when you get to step 2 of the filling swap for the following: 2. Add raspberries to the top of the slice and gently push each one down until they are partly submerged. Freeze the slice for 4+ hours, or overnight. To serve, remove from the freezer and allow slice into defrost for 5 minutes. To defrost fully place in the fridge for a few hours, or place cut slice into an air tight container and store in the freezer, defrosting serves as needed.
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