The recipe for this Chocolate Slice with Vanilla Coffee Cream came together almost by accident. Honestly speaking, I am the most unorganized person in the kitchen ever. I start with a recipe in my head and end up with something completely different. This is really part of my creativity – to see where things go. And I really love that part of my baking – it excites me! I must look like a crazy scientist while baking, always trying to figure out what could work with what. Plus the kitchen looks like an absolute battlefield where some ingredients might have just exploded all over the places – but in my chaotic mind it all makes total sense.
So here I was actually going for a dessert-ish cream in a glass as I am currently experimenting with vegan cream textures. So I threw some ingredients together and when I tried this cream I knew it was special, not only because of its special ingredients but it tasted so much like thick mascarpone, I loved it! I am going to make many variations of this as it is so so good. So it was way too good to hide it in a glass I wanted it to have the leading role in my baking action movie. So what I needed was chocolate sandwich to complement those creamy coffee flavors. The cake is not glutenfree for a change but it is vegan. I would love to hear what you think!
Chocolate slice ( for a square brownie pan)
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 1 cup walnuts (chopped)
- 1 tsp ground vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 6 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 bananas (pureed)
- ½ cup of plant based milk
- ½ cup coconut oil
Vanilla Espresso Creme
- 1 cup salted peanuts
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tsp espresso powder (freshly ground if possible)
- 1 cup drained cannellini beans
- 2 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 ½ cups coconut milk
Mix together the first 6 ingredients. Puree the banana with your blender and add the milk and coconut oil. Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Transfer the dough into a greased square brownie pan and bake for 20 minutes at 190 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool entirely. Cut the cake in halves. On one of halves spread your espresso cream in a very thick layer almost like an ice cream sandwich. Now add the second layer on top and top with whipped coconut cream and blackberries. I added some cocoa powder too!
Coconut Whipped Cream
- 1 can of full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge overnight)
- sweetener of your choice
- ground vanilla
Remove the can from the fridge and open it carefully. Now you will see that the coconut milk has formed quite a solid part on top. Scoop that bit out leaving the coconut water in the can. Don’t throw it out it’s perfect for drinks, smoothies and juices! Now take your hand mixer and whip up the coconut cream on high speed. Add a pinch of ground vanilla and some sweetener of your choice.
A little side note about the mixing bowl you are using: It is best to chill the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes. Heat is the enemy for any coconut whipped cream as it will melt away. So if the bowl is chilled you won’t face any of those OMG-my-coconut-whipped-cream-fell-apart-moments!
