I’m continuing with the berry season creating lots of new recipes for you that are perfect for the summer. Today I’ve got a cute little Pistachio and Strawberry Raw Cake recipe to share with you.
Strawberries are now in season in the UK and they are popping up at local Farmer’s markets so we can all enjoy this gorgeous summer fruit. In this cake I’ve teamed up the strawberries with coconut, lemon and pistachios to make a special healthy summer treat.
This is a small 6″ cake, just perfect for a little celebration. The yummy crust is a mix of pistachios, desiccated coconut and medjool dates. The creamy strawberry layer is a mix of fresh strawberries, lemon zest and coconut butter. It’s a quick cake to make and doesn’t take too long to set in the freezer. What took me the longest was shelling the pistachios, but the crust is so worth it.
A lot of you keep asking about coconut butter and creamed coconut. They are the same thing, coconut butter usually comes in a jar and creamed coconut comes in a form of a solid block. When I make cakes I tend to use creamed coconut, because it comes in a handy 200g block that’s perfect for my recipes. I haven’t tried yet, but you can also make your own coconut butter and there are many recipes online. Enjoy the recipe:)
Pistachio and Strawberry Raw Cake (grain-free & vegan)
Ingredients
Pistachio crust:
- 80g shelled pistachios (1/2 cup)
- 50g desiccated coconut (1/2 cup)
- 6 medjool dates
- 1tbsp coconut oil
- pinch of sea salt
Strawberry layer:
- 250g strawberries (2 cups)
- 200g coconut butter or creamed coconut (1 cup)
- 2tbsp coconut oil
- 2tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 lemon, zest
- 1tbsp lemon juice
Topping:
- fresh strawberries
- chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Prepare 6" round cake tin with removable base.
- Place pistachios into a food processor and blend until coarsely ground. Add desiccated coconut, pitted medjool dates, coconut oil and sea salt and blend until the mixture comes together. Spoon the mix into the tin, spread evenly onto the base and press tightly down. Place into a fridge.
- Place strawberries into high speed blender or use hand blender and blend until you have smooth puree. Set aside.
- In a double boiler gently melt coconut butter with coconut oil. Stir in 2tbsp maple syrup, strawberry puree, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix well together.
- Spoon onto the crust layer and smooth out the top.
- Place into a freezer for about 1 hour to set.
- Once set carefully remove from the tin.
- Place onto a cake stand and decorate with fresh strawberries and chopped pistachios.
- Store in a fridge or freezer.
- Enjoy!
I can’t get enough of the fresh sweet summer strawberries right now either! They are so perfect and I even enjoyed some just this morning <3
Yes to strawberries and summer! Now it’s the time to make the most of them before they are gone! x
This looks gorgeous Hana! I really could do with a slice of that right now! Lovely photos too X
Thank you so much Michelle! I’ve still got plenty left over:) x
This looks amazing! You are a creative wholefood-cake-making genius! It looks so creamy. The in-season strawberries we have right now are so sweet and this looks like the perfect celebration of them :)
Thank you so much Sasha! What a compliment, I love it! Yes the in-season strawberries are quite different to the ones we get all year round:) x
What does this taste like? Is it like ice cream kind of? I’m looking for a great birthday cake to make for a health conscious friend! Can you taste the coconut? What flavors stand out most?
Hi Autumn, the strawberry layer tastes creamy and the flavours that come through most for me are the strawberries and lemon with a hint of pistachios. You will get some coconut coming through, but it’s not very strong. Hope this helps:) H
Can I use cacao butter instead coconut butter and oil ? Because sometimes coconut oil in cake taste like soap.
Hi Jurga, I think you could use a mix of cacao butter and coconut butter. You can definitely leave the coconut oil out, but I’m not entirely sure if only cacao butter would work. Hope this helps.
This looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it. What do you mean by “prepare pan”? Do you use coconut oil for that as well?
Hi Susan, thank you! Sorry, it might be a bit misleading, I just mean have it ready, no need to grease it.
I don’t know how stringent you are in using the descriptor of “raw”. Is it the cake or the sum of all its ingredients? Maple syrup is never a raw product. I used to tap maple trees for the sap to produce syrup, and the production requires gently boiling for a very long time.
Hey Keith, I’m referring to the cake as raw, to make it clear for my readers that it’s not a baked cake. I think it’s fairly acceptable to include technically not raw sweeteners in raw cake recipes, at least I see it in many. I’m sorry if you find my description misleading.
Hello!
Im planning to make this cake for my sons’s birthday party. Would it be safe to double ingredients and make it bigger? Does it work like that?:-)
Thank you.
Hi Agata, yes, you can double the ingredients and use a larger tin. It should work just fine. You could also use half almonds half pistachios for the crust if you like. Hope everyone loves it:)
Great! Im just in the process :-). And you know what? I didnt have enough pistachios so I used exactly almonds:-).
Thank you, I hope it will come out good:-)
That’s funny! Do let me know!
It came out very good :-) and tasty, will definately do it again. Even bigger:-). Everybody enjoyed! Thank you!
Hi Agatha, I’m so happy that everybody enjoyed the cake! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a comment:) x
I made this last night and it is as amazing as it looks! I only had a nine-inch spring form pan so I used that and followed the recipe x an additional 1/2. I noticed the ingredient list for the crust calls for shredded coconut, but when following the recipe it only mentions to add the coconut oil, not also the shredded coconut. I started pressing the crust into the pan and then realized I didn’t have the shredded coconut so I re-blended it all together and it was soooo good. Thanks for this recipe! A new favorite.
Hi Laura, thank you so much for your lovely comment and pointing out the mistake in the recipe! Totally my fault, I apologize! I’m really happy that you’ve enjoyed the cake:) xx
I don’t see how this strawberry layer will sit. Once I did as well the mango mini cheesecake (it had a wonderful flavor, btw) but I had to freeze it completely. also this layer seem too “liquidy” – oil, butter, lemon juice, maple syrup … only the strawberry pure has some thickness.
What’s your secret to have it firm?
Hi Celia, the secret is the coconut butter, because it’s very solid. Once melted, mixed with the rest of the ingredients and cooled, it will solidify again and make this cake very firm. It’s good to freeze it first, it’s easier to remove it from the tin that way, but then you can actually keep it in the fridge and it will stay firm.
this is beautiful, unique crust!
Thank you Ashley! Happy you like it:)
can you freeze raw cakes? i am the only one in my house who eats them .
Hi Helen, yes, you can. Slice the leftovers and freeze them in an airtight container. I freeze most of them too, because it’s the same in my house:)
This cake is AMAZING! It’s like cheesecake, but so much better. I used creamed coconut because it was much cheaper than coconut butter. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Catherine, thank you so much for your wonderful comment. I’m really happy that you love the cake. Oh yes, creamed coconut is so much cheaper than coconut butter, I always use it:)
I made this cake last night with cream of the coconut (goya). I was confused because the cream of the coconut was already sweetened and decided to leave out the maple syrup because of it. Now I am worries (by tomorrow) that when I take it out of the freezer and thaw it that the strawberey layer will not keep its form. Have you ever tried making the cake this way? I was hoping the cream of the coconut would firm up more in a cooler environment (not in my 75 degree kitchen)
Hi Nicolina, I believe that the cream of the coconut is just coconut cream and that wouldn’t firm up enough to keep the cake solid. Creamed coconut that I’ve used in the recipe goes very solid in the fridge, so mixing it up with the strawberries makes the texture lighter, but still very firm. You might have to keep the cake semi-frozen and eat it that way or serve it as a dessert in a bowl if it’s too soft. I’m sure it’ll still taste lovely. Hope this helps. H
Hi Hana,
I have got followed this recipe however the cake turns melty in room temperature very quickly. I wanted to make this as a birthday cake for my friend. Is there any way I can prevent it/ any suggestion in adjustment in ingredients to firm it up? Thanks! :)
Hi Amanda, the cake should keep well in the room temperature for some time, coconut butter tends to be very solid so mixed with the strawberries you should have the right creamy texture. If it hasn’t you could try to either reduce the strawberries or use extra coconut butter. Alternatively you could add 1 cup of soaked cashews or extra coconut oil. Hope this will work better for you :)
I made this yesterday and took it to work and it went down a treat, it was simple but delicious. Thanks so much for sharing
You’re so welcome Angela! I’m so happy you all loved it :)
Hi I’ve made the cake for my parents wedding anniversary, it looks beautiful. Thank you for the recipe. I’ve stored it in the freezer and was wondering how long I should let it defrost for for it to be at it’s best? Thank you!
Hi Bridie, I’m not sure if it’s too late to reply, but it can take a good hour to defrost at room temperature or longer in the fridge. I normally serve it completely thaw, but it can be served still slightly frozen too. Hope you all love it :)
Is it even normal or even good for digestion to eat pistachio nuts and their shells?
Hi Vibien, shelled pistachios means pistachio kernels without the shells. I’m sorry if you got confused.
Thank you for your quick response! Yes, my confusion. Can’t wait to make your cake this weekend ;)
No worries :) Hope you like it.
I made this lovely cake! It’s so easy & yummy! My husband loves it too! All the ingredients are so nutritious too! It’s a perfect size ~ not too big! Thanks for sharing! =^.^=
I’m so happy to hear that Angie! Thank you for your lovely comment! You’re very welcome :)