So here is another insight into my little healthy baking world. Today I am showing you the the set of tools that help me to step up my raw baking game. I also do have a super tiny kitchen so there is no space for a hundreds of different gadgets so all tools I am sharing with you are handy, cheap and super useful. There is really no need for a whole cupboard of stuff to master a good raw cake. I might also use some things which might seem rather unusual to some of you! If so, let me know and don’t forget to tell me what your secret baking weapons are!
Tools to Step Up Your Raw Baking
1. High quality blender or food processor
I know this is an obvious one but needless to say that my monster of a blender has taken my raw baking to the next level. It just makes the finest raw dough, perfect nut butters (which is often an important ingredient in raw cakes) and icings without it being grainy. It’s just that last bit of raw cake professionalism that you add to your cake with a high speed blender. When you cut your raw cakes (espeacially when working with different layers) you want the layers to look smooth and creamy. You want the cake to melt in your mouth rather than being all chunky. I know, it is an investment but every raw baker will tell you that it’s worth every damn penny (apart from the fact that you can use it for a thousand other things than raw baking as well). I don’t want to recommend a selection of brands here. I do own a Viamix which I love but I hear that there are so many fabulous blenders/food processors out there that do the job just fine.
2. Spatula
This is my lifesaver and it is the cheapest tool I own. When I say spatula I am not talking about the common one with a handle and a silicone top. I use a special one without a handle! They are usually made from plastic and have a rectangular shape. Mine is a little sharp on one side making it possible to cut bars or slices with it too. They are truly amazing (image below!) This is my secrect weapon to smooth the sides of a raw cake and also create a super even cake top. Even if your cake didn’t come out of the pan perfectly this is the time you grab your spatula and let it run around the sides and edges of the cake to smooth it out giving the cake a great finish. I also use the spatula to release raw bars from a square tin by running the sharp side around the edges of the cake. Makes life really easy this little helper.
3. Sharp, high-quality knife
If you would like to get perfect pieces of raw cake, it’s because you use a fabulous sharp knife. Compared to baked cakes, raw cakes have a very different consistency depending on the ingredients and the temperature. With a baked cake you won’t really see when using a shitty knife but raw cakes are not very forgiving in that regard because they are more firm and dense. So with a very sharp knife you will always cut perfect squares, bars and shapes. So in the past when I just started doing raw cakes I would put a huge effort and time into it and the messing it all up when cutting my raw slice into shreds with a blunt knife.
Another little hack on the side: when you take out your chilled raw cake ready to be cut, grab your knife and dip the whole blade into a high glass of hot water and immidiately drying it again with a tea towel. Then the blade is quite warm and cuts through the chilled cake like butter. The other knife I use for my raw baing is a simple plastic knife (literally one that was left from a takeout meal). Since it’s plastic and flexible I use this to release the side of a round cake without scratching my non-stick pan.
4. Supermarket plastic containers from veg and fruit as a cake pan
This might sound super awkward but I love to use plastic containers from veg or fruit to make my raw slices. This is a simple hack but it has worked for me so well in the past that I would like to share this with you. And it involves re-using packaging too. You know when you go to the supermarket and buy tomatoes or grapes they usually sit in a rectangular plastic container so they don’t get squished? We should always buy plastic-free but if you don’t have a choice never throw the plastic containers! They are flexible and sturdy at the same time which make them the perfect moulds for raw cakes. I usually fill in the raw dough, freeze the whole thing and release the cake by cutting the plastic open – no harm to be done to your precious raw slice. Some of the boxes even have cool patterns which look great on your slices. Give it a try, you will be surprised how well, it works.
5. High round springform baking tins
So if I don’t use supermarket rubbish to make my cakes in I actually use some real cake pans sometimes 🙂 So why would I use cake tins which are small and extra high? When it comes to cake tins I guess I started like everyone else by using normal sized tins. But since raw cakes are super dense and rich I felt that I would rather have a smaller version which I could actually manage to eat. But I also like my cakes very high so I can create different layers. High cakes always look sophisticated. So rather than using big pans opt for small high quality pans. My favorite is a non-stick 4 3/4 inch springform with an extra high ring pan.
I really hope you found all of the information useful for your own raw baking! Feel free to ask questions or comment below, I would love to hear what you think!
For more baking hacks check out my 10 Incredibly Easy And Useful Health Food Hacks + Recipes and 8 Ingredients That Make Any Vegan Cake Even Tastier!