I wanted to keep this recipe simple and beautiful; those two features often go hand-in-hand, incidentally. The ingredients are wholesome, nutritious gifts from nature and the cake they end up making is a delightful treat to enjoy and share with those you care for. I imagine this cake being eaten in a sunny garden where flowers bloom, golden rays shine on skin moisturized with coconut oil, and a comfortable atmosphere invites subtle waves of laughter and easy conversation.



Was that way too corny? And what's with the language here? Hyper-emotional moments are always categorized with words like "cheesy", "corny", "mushy"... what's goin' on there? I'm just being honest about how I feel. Seriously though... opening my heart has nothing to do with maize (or dairy, for that matter).


Back to the cake. I love oats! I love the word 'oat', as well as the actual thing the word points to in the real world. They are full of fiber, protein, B vitamins, iron and a ton of other good stuff. The taste of oats is really comforting to me, as I loved oatmeal growing up and still enjoy a warm bowl every now and then. Another fave flavour of mine comes from pecans. They've got loads of healthy fats, oleic acid, vitamin E and other minerals and vitamins essential to keeping your bodacious bod happy.

The frosting is outta this world. It's like a super creamy, sweet, ginger cashew yogurt or something. Actually, if you let it sit in the fridge for a week or so, it probably would become a kind of yogurt because of the fermentation... mmm... I should try that next time. It's light and fresh and sweet and simple, just like a baby bird in the morning. Or maybe not. I dunno.

OAT & PECAN CAKE with VANILLA GINGER FROSTING 

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups cashews
2 tablespoons coconut nectar
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla powder 
2 tablespoons peeled ginger 
1/2 cup water, as needed
Pinch of Himalayan salt

Cake:
1 cup pecans
1 cup oats
2 cups dates
2 tablespoons coconut butter 

Note: you can use young coconut meat instead of cashews; vanilla extract instead of vanilla powder; and the coconut butter is optional but recommended.

To make the frosting: in a high-speed blender, blend all the ingredients together until smooth and yogurt-like in consistency. Store in the fridge in sealed glassware overnight.

To make the cake: pulse the pecans and oats into flour in a food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients and process until you can press pieces of the mixture together and it holds. Press half the mixture into a lined, small spring form pan (mine is about 4 inches). Take this out of the pan and put in the fridge. Do the same with the remaining half of the mixture.

Assembly: take the cakes out of their lining, and place one on a plate. Frost the top, then place on the second cake. Frost the top and sides, then decorate with whatever you like; dried flowers, nuts, seeds, fruit and berries... ♥