A HEAVENLY CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT TORTE FOR MY ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!

Today is a magical day! First of all, Happy blogiversary to me! It’s been 365 days since that first lowly recipe. There are almost 60 recipes now and due to some sort of cosmic alignment, my little amateur blog has had (drumroll please)………… exactly 10,000 views as of today! Woohoo! Partay! This has been an extremely fun hobby so far. At the very least, it’s been a great tool for myself when I forget my own recipes and need an easy way to look them up. I admit that it is completely self indulgent, as I have thoroughly enjoyed documenting my kitchen adventures this year.

I have so much gratitude for all of your patience, love, and support. I don’t think it has much to do with this particular endeavor, but this has also just so happened to be the happiest and busiest year in my whole life. Every single day has been such a beautiful and exciting gift. What a privilege it is to be alive and well, to love and feel everything.

In honor of this first year coming to an end, I couldn’t think of a better recipe than a delicious chocolate birthday cake. This raw cake is made using the same concept as my Blackberry Almond Cheesecake recipe, with a chocolate sauce taken from the Chocolate Almond Banana Bites recipe, except this one is more of a chocolate fudge cake than a cheesecake. The best part about this cake is that it is truly easy to make, and a real crowd pleaser. All you need is a 4″ diameter springform pan and a food processor. This cake is heavenly because it’s actually pretty darn good for you! You can use cocoa powder if you can’t find cacao, but I definitely recommend cacao because it contains more antioxidants than black tea, green tea, and red wine. Specifically, it contains a type of antioxidant called flavinoids which are known to improve cardiovascular health, prevent cancer, and prevent aging. Additionally, it contains iron, magnesium, and fiber, as well as Anandamide, aka the ‘bliss molecule’. Break me off a slice of that!

Heavenly Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

Makes about 6-8 servings

1/2 cup raw hazelnuts

4 medjool dates, without pits

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked in cold water for 3 hours (or overnight)

1/4 cup melted virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup or raw agave

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup raw cacao powder

Sauce:

1/4 cup melted virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup cacao powder

1 tbs maple syrup or raw agave

1 pinch of salt

Optional: cacao nibs, crushed hazelnuts, shaved chocolate (shown), or sprinkles

Combine the hazelnuts, dates, vanilla extract, and salt in a food processor, and blend until well combines but still crumbly. Press this mixture down into the bottom of your 4″ diameter spring form pan in an even layer. Rinse out the food processor and add the cashews, coconut oil, maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/3 cup cacao powder. Blend for a good long time until the mixture is completely smooth. It should be thick and creamy. Scoop the the mixture into the springform pan, on top of the crust layer.

Wrap the pan in foil or saran wrap and freeze overnight. (You could probably freeze it for as little as two hours or as long as a couple months if you wanted.) To thaw, put the cake in the fridge for about 2 hours, or on the counter for 15 minutes. You still want it to be pretty solid.

To make the chocolate sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients until glossy and smooth. Release the cake from the pan and drizzle the sauce on top. You can add some additional chopped hazelnuts, cacao nibs, shaved dark chocolate, or whatever you like. It’s amazing how a tiny sliver is all you need. This is a RICH cake! It’s perfect with a cup of coffee or after a big meal, where you are stuffed but still need a tiny something sweet.

Enjoy!