I’m pretty sure that in your 40 plus years, you’ve actually made one. If you’ve never actually baked one yourself, you’ve at least watched someone make one and licked the beaters clean. You “know” (or think you know) exactly what constitutes a cake.
You have a built in belief system around cake baking and what gets mixed into the bowl. Most likely you think and believe that the way to make a cake is to mix flour, sugar, butter, eggs. Maybe you even believe that a box of floury stuff that you add some liquid vegetable oil to is the only way to make a cake.
What if I told you that your belief about what makes a chocolate cake was not really true? What if I told you that you don’t need the “normal” flour, sugar, butter and eggs to make a food that is the consistency of cake?
What if I told you that I used food to bake this chocolate cake?
Yup. This cake is nuts (and veggies).
Yup. Real whole naked food, sweet potatoes, avocado, beets, cashews and dates? And I did throw in 2 eggs just for good measure. So naked that you can eat it for dinner and consider it a balanced healthy meal.
This is a great example of “not knowing what you don’t know until you know it”.
At this point you may be a bit confused because I just busted a “whole” in your belief system about how baking works. Belief systems, that we build, can also be referred to B.S.
The lesson here is that we build our “belief system” based on things we see, hear or have learned in the past. It’s not always based on the truth. What you see is not always (and I would say never always) what you think. What you believe is just your perception based on what you’ve seen before. Because as you now see, and will soon taste (if you try this recipe below) a cake is not always what you think it is, just because it’s only what you’ve seen before.
Are you getting this?
Be careful of your strong headed beliefs that you base all your decisions on. Because there always is another way to think and to believe. There are ways that you can’t always see right in front of you.
That’s the beauty of believing. As a dear friend once reminded me,
“You always get to be right.”
Yes, it’s true. And that could be a very scary thought depending on what you are believing. So here you have a new way to make some yummy chocolate cake.
It’s almost Un-believable!
But it’s true. You don’t have to believe me, you can bake one up yourself.
Instead of a cake, try portion sizing out in cupcakes. Personally , I love a cupcake.
This recipe is fitting for almost any food plan you may be on. It’s gluten, dairy and sugar free. The few dates, sweet potato and the beet are what make it sweet.
You get a really fantastic result with a very simple recipe that can be thrown into the blender all at once (My favorite way of cooking naked after 40, is quick and easy, leaving only one thing to clean up)
The CAKE:
Throw it all into the vitamix or high powered blender.WHAT? You don’t have a vitamix?May I invite you to do something about that. I promise, you’ll wonder how the heck you ever lived without one. CLICK HERE TO BUY.
4 pitted mejool dates
1 cup cashew butter
1/2 roasted beet
1 very large baked sweet potato (or 2 mediums)
1/3 cup raw cacao
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Mix till smooth and creamy. Pour into greased cake pan or into cupcake papers (makes about 10 cupcakes when you generously fill the papers or one 8 inch round pan or square cake pan) . Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.Allow to cool before icing. (Clean out your vitamix as you’ll need it for the icing)
The ICING:
Throw into vitamix and whirl until smooth and creamy.
1 avocado
3 pitted mejool dates
2 tbsp water
1/2 cup raw cacoa
1 tbsp coconut oil
squeeze fresh lemon
dab of salt
Spread this creamy icing on your cake or cupcakes. This recipe makes a substantial amount of icing and spreads nice and creamy.
Don’t forget to lick the spoon
This cake not only tastes amazing, but because you KNOW that you are eating pure and naked whole food, you feel good not only physically but mentally too. Eating food in it’s most natural form Is what your body craves. Knowing that you are treating yourSelf well is an integral part of self love and care.
I believe that this recipe is yum-azing. ( And everyone that has tasted it is now a “believer”)
What do you believe is possible in your life? Where are your limited belief’s keeping you stuck? Can you think outside of what you see and trust that there is more there for you?
Please share your experience and beliefs with me below in the comments.
Flour-less , sugar-less and totally delicious! These Chocolate Almond Stuffed Cookies (with a side of Pumpkin Hot Chocolate) are made with chick peas (replacing flour) and dates (replacing the sweetener). The chocolate is a raw unsweetened cacao superfood providing tons of anti oxidants and nutritional benefits.
Honest to Goddess Goodness, YOU deserve to serve yourSelf.
Before you can say “but I like my pumpkin stuffed Oreo’s and flip off this recipe, keep an open mind that a cookie doesn’t have to be the thing that disrupts your healthy eating or add inches to your waist. Have you any idea of the ingredients that go into store bought cookies? YUCK! Isn’t it time to stop stuffing anything in your mouth and take some care about what you put into the gorgeously divine body of yours?
You deserve to sit down, sip, savor and satisfy all your senses. You can create and increase the pleasure you have with your food if you allow yourself to be there in the moment giving total attention to it. That would mean NO magazine reading while eating, no talking on phone while sipping, no texting while chewing, no standing while swallowing. You get the point. That would mean SITTING DOWN, SLOWING DOWN, FOCUSING ON WHAT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
Leonardo Da Vinci said, “The five sense are the ministers of the soul”
Leonardo (I adore him) was a tad pissed and often spoke of how people listened without really hearing, touched without really feeling, moved without awareness, looked without seeing and ATE WITHOUT TASTING. Imagine that they didn’t even have cell phones or television back.
This recipe is an invitation to feel your way through the preparation. Feel while you prepare it. Really look at it and be present to the preparation and the mixing of the naked ingredients.
All the ingredients for these stuffed cookies are NAKED, meaning food in its most natural form. You could argue about the powder being somewhat processed so you can feel free to leave it out if you want to really strip down bare and replace it with 2 tbsp almond four.
I love this purple mixing bowl. This recipe makes up into a nice cookie dough consistency. Here I mixed the wet into the cacao nibs and almonds slivers.
I used a cookie scooper to get them all the same size. I used the bottom of a glass to flatten them before baking.
You can absolutely serve them like this just plain simple single chocolate almond cookies.
Or you can stuff them like sandwich cookies which is a lot of fun. Simply mix up 2 tbsp coconut butter, 2 tbsp tablespoon almond butter, and cinnamon and spread in between two cookies like a sandwich.
They come out looking like drippy deliciously creamy sandwich cookies with a loud invitation to EAT ME.
So go ahead and eat them. YOU deserve to treat yourself well and that starts with the food you take into your divinely precious body.
COOKIE ALMOND COOKIE RECIPE:
Mix all ingredients into vitamix (leaving out the last 2 – cacao nibs and almond slivers as you’ll mix them in last). It will form a nice cookie dough consistency.
Ingredients:
1 can chick peas (rinsed and drained)
1 whole egg
10 pitted chopped dates
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tbsp chia seed
2 tbsp vega chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp vanilla
3 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine 2 tbsp cacoa nibs and 2 tbsp almond slivers and add the mixed dough from the vitamix. Now you are ready to scoop. Scoop cookies onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. When cooled, spread filling on one cookie and top with another cookie to make your stuffed cookie.
COCONUT ALMOND CREAM STUFFING:
Ingredients:
2 tbsp coconut cream
2 tbsp almond butter
cinnamon to taste
Directions:
Mix together in a bowl. (You may have to warm up the coconut cream until it is liquid and stirable)
And don’t forget your pumpkin hot chocolate.
PUMPKIN HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE :
Watch me whip up this hot chocolate in the video here.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 cup almond milk (plain or chocolate)
1 tbsp raw cacao
stevia to taste (or 1 tsp honey or maple syrup if you prefer)
Directions:
Mix all together in a pot, stirring till warm and creamy. YUM. Sip and savor slowly.
Candy without consequences. That’s what I call this treat.
Something this good seems like it should be more complicated to make. The Coconut Cashew Candy snack has the look and feel of chocolate but is not chocolate at all. It’s in a state of yumminess all by itself that can only be described by the sound of hmmmmmmm. [section_title]INGREDIENTS[/section_title]
[section_title]DIRECTIONS[/section_title] I used black and white polka dot mini cupcake papers for these. Here is your very simple recipe that literally takes 4 ingredients and less 4 minutes: Warm coconut butter so it is pourable. Mix cashew and coconut in a bowl adding vanilla and stevia. It was soft enough and easy enough to mix in one bowl with a spoon. Then place the mixture into mini candy cups, mini cupcake tins or chocolate molds. Freeze until solid and store in freezer. Option: Those little red dots you see in the candy cups above are goji berries. I added 1 tbsp to the mixture for some color. Fun but not necessary. I used this cashew butter. You want to be sure that the only ingredient in your cashew butter is “cashews” and the only ingredient in your coconut butter is “coconut”… That is what I call truly naked! Nothing else is necessary. There are lots of nut butters on the shelves that include the nut with a lot of other unnecessary oils and sugars. YOU and your healthy, sexy body don’t want that. I poured the mixture into bunny molds to make some easter candy bunnies. This creamy delite has so much flavor and soft smooth creamy texture, I have to make my apologies ahead of time. You will have cravings. The good thing is you won’t have the consequences that you would if you ate a bag of M&M’s. One little tip. If you really want a quickie snack, you can purchase 2 small packets of Artisana butters, coconut (see here) and cashew (see here), add a dash of vanilla and stevia and you’ve got one helping of candy. These individual envelopes are available in most health food stores near the nut butters. (Little tip: You can carry these envelopes with you as an emergency energy snack and simple suck it out of the package) I prefer to have them mixed together to create this wonderful little treat that feels divine while you eat it and after you are done too. (And yes, I guess it is possible to squeeze both bags into your mouth at the same time if you were really in a pickle)
This is chocolate in it’s purest form. It will not only satisfy your need for something decadent, it is a naked food and filled with antioxidants and all the goodness you need to build that healthy sexy body you are craving even more than chocolate! You can have both if you eat naked.
[section_title]INGREDIENTS[/section_title]
Main Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts raw, unsalted
1/2 cup raw cacao
16 dates pitted (I use deglet noor. If you use mejool, use only 9)
2 tsps vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
sprinkle sea salt
Optional Additions (add any or all):
1/4 cup raw cacao nibs (if you want some crunch)
1/4 cup goji berries (if you want some color and chew)
1 tablespoon maca powder (if you want some super power)
[section_title]DIRECTIONS[/section_title]
This will be the quickest chocolate you ever whipped up. I used a food processor and put all of the ingredients right in and swish! Scoop into your molds and freeze. Keep them frozen as they will get perfectly hard but still easy enough to sink your teeth into (without breaking anything)
One batch made all of these yummy treats that I created in different ways.
When I am eating something that I deem “decadent”, I close my eyes and really focus on the tastes and textures. This fudge is one of those moments that I use to close my eyes with gratitude that something so yummy can actually be good for me.
That’s a win win!
Now don’t get me wrong. You can eat too much of a good thing too which is why I put “Systems in Place” as double security for honoring my Sleeping Naked After 40 Lifestyle of extreme self love.
Plus the little mini packages make me feel special and of course create the opportunity for me to “grab and go” and if I’m feeling generous, “have a gift ready when I run out the door”.
Everyone is grateful when you deliver a healthy snack to them. Our bodies crave health but we’re not always willing to take the time to give that gift to ourself. (I sure hope that isn’t you, but just in case. Give me a few minutes and read on thru and see how exciting just a tad of self love and care can be. This simple and easy recipe can change your idea that healthy is hard. Experience the ease and taste just once and you will be hooked on naked)
I used mini cup cake cups here and one of these is more than enough. You could even call this one little cup your perfectly divine serving.
I happened upon these cute little foil mini cups and boxes in a candy making store. I used them to make 3 bite sized treats. I stuck one almond into the center after filling with chocolate for some added crunch. Love this presentation! You can tie the box with a bow, eat one at a time and make them last thru the day. Or dive into all 4 as a perfect little self size.
Last but not least my absolute favorite is making them in little heart molds. Because they are so tiny and thin, I sandwich 2 around a dab of almond butter. Your pure and naked version of a peanut butter cup. 2 of these heart sandwiches make a perfectly deliteful treat and look pretty in little cellophane bags tied with a bow. (HINT: get creative and put your own touch on these. I’m thinking egg shaped molds for Easter eggs)
Creating food in heart shaped pans and dishes and molds is something I do often. It reminds me that I am LOVE, that I share love, that I give love and that I receive love.
Because really and truly LOVE is all there is.
Here are the 3 packages together. One recipe made 8 heart sandwiches, 5 mini cupcake shapes and 5 boxes (filled with 4 mini’s). Plenty to keep you happy for days!
Which style calls your name to come and get it?
Please share pictures of you and your treats. We’d love to salivate over them with you!
(*Please don’t ask me for the calorie count. Let the numbers go. Instead count the moments in your amazing life that you have allowed joy to come in. These divine little treats may do the trick in your switch from “stuffing down” to “taking in”. The suggested portion sizes are the perfect amount when you practice conscious, mindful, eye closing, focused nourishment).
