Strawberry Chocolate Cake

To be honest I have never been a big cake person. I've actually never really been a huge sweets person. Growing up I would have rather had a big bowl of tortilla chips instead of ice cream or cake. Since switching to a whole foods, plant-based diet I have grown to appreciate sweets a little more simply because when I make them, I make them in such a way that it would be healthy enough for me to eat for breakfast: Completely plant based without any unnatural additives. Today happens to be my birthday and because it is tradition to eat some sort of sweet for this momentous occasion, I have chosen to make myself a cake for breakfast. Now the awesome part is that it is composed of things that I would eat for breakfast anyway, but it tastes like cake! Now I am not going to lie...the way I have laid it out here makes it look super complicated, but it's not. You pretty much make the whole thing in a blender which is super easy, so give it a try!

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 cups of oats 
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 14 medjool dates, soaked in water
• 1 cup of the date soaking water
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

Cake Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a high powered blender and blend until it is a smooth batter. 
2. Pour batter into a spring form pan and spread so that it is covering the bottom evenly
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked completely through (check the middle with a knife every once in a while)
4. Take out of the oven and let it cool.

Strawberry Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup of strawberries
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 medjool dates, soaked in water

Strawberry Sauce Directions:

1. In a blender combine the strawberries and dates and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a bowl and add in the chia seeds.
3. Let it sit for about half an hour to let the chia seeds plump up.

Cashew Icing Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cashews, soaked
• 8-10 medjool dates, soaked
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup of water

Cashew Icing Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  It should come out like a think icing consistency.

Chocolate Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 5 medjool dates, soaked
• 1/4 cup of water

Chocolate Sauce Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. It should come out like a thick chocolate sauce, but liquid enough that it can be drizzled out of the container.

Assembly:

1. Once the cake has cooled, remove the sides of the spring form pan and spread a layer of the cashew icing
2. Spread the strawberry jam on top of the icing. You can make a design with it if you want or just spread a layer.
3. Drizzle the chocolate sauce on top of the jam layer
4. Finally, if you want to make it pretty you can add some strawberry slices to the sides and/or top.