Do Better Dubai Cake

A Healthy, Sustainable, and Compassionate Makeover of a Trendy Cake, by Beth Love

This decadent dessert truly makes it possible to enjoy a rich, creamy and crunchy, moist and densely-flavored delight without an ounce of guilt!

Yield:

1 8” 2-layer cake (serves 8–12 servings)

Cake Ingredients:

• ¾ cup oat flour¾ cup carob powder
• 1½ tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder
• 1¼ cups plain unsweetened soymilk
• ½ cup mashed sweet potato (from steamed or baked)
• 1 cup cooked beans or lentils, with liquid (see notes)
• 3 tablespoons black tahini
• 1 cup soft dates, stems and pits removed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut shreds
• 1 cup raw pistachios, divided
• ¾ cup water, or more if needed
• 1 tablespoon regular tahini, raw if available
• ¼ cup soft dates, stems and pits removed
• 2 handfuls of spinach leaves

Cake Ingredients:

• ¼ cup plain unsweetened soymilk
• 3/8 cup soft dates, stems and pits removed
• 1 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla
• 1 tablespoon black tahini
• ½ cup carob powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Prepare two round 8” cake pans by lining with parchment paper.
3. Combine oat flour, carob powder, and baking powder in a bowl, and mix well. Set aside.
4. In a blender or food processor, process soymilk, sweet potatoes, beans, black tahini, dates, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar until pretty smooth.
5. Scrape contents of the blender into the bowl with the flour/carob mixture
6. Fold wet ingredients gently into the dry ingredients. Be careful to avoid overmixing. It’s okay if some clumps of flour remain.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Smooth the tops of the batter in the pans, being careful not to overwork it.
8. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until a clean knife inserted in the cake comes out clean.
9. Remove cakes from oven to cool.
10. Spread coconut shreds out on a baking pan. Place in the oven to toast lightly, stirring every few minutes. Remove from oven after golden brown and set aside to cool
11. Assemble Filling: Put ¾ cup pistachios, water, tahini, dates, and spinach into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down as needed. Scoop into a small mixing bowl. Chop remaining ¼ cup pistachios coarsely. Add cooled toasted coconut and chopped pistachios to the filling and stir in.
12. Make Ganache: In a food processor or blender, process all ganache ingredients until smooth. Add a touch more soymilk if needed to get it creamy. Set aside.
13. Assemble Cake: Place one cooled cake layer on a serving plate. Spread the filling over the cake layer and top with the other layer. Spread ganache over the top. Garnish, if desired, with additional coconut or pistachios, or with flowers, leaves, or other garnish.
14. Cut into wedges and serve.
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Notes, Substitutions, and Variations:

• The recipe has so far been tested with red beans and black lentils, but other beans or lentils should also work fine. Other suggestions include black beans, adzuki beans, chickpeas, or white beans. Just make sure you use well cooked legumes.
• You can substitute unsweetened cashew, almond, hazelnut, or rice milk for the soy milk.
• Try substituting other whole grain flours, such as sorghum or brown rice flour.
• For a little kick, try adding some ground red chile or cayenne to the cake and/or ganache.
• To reduce saturated fat, omit coconut from the filling or replace with chopped nuts.

The book Sensational Salads to Cool the Earth is in the Tastes Like Love series by Eat for the Earth’s founder and Executive Director Beth Love. This recipe is used by permission of the author.