If this is not THE perfect St. Patrick’s Day dessert, I don’t know what is. That green color is mesmerizing!
And it’s all done using whole natural foods. No artificial food colors here.
100% plant-based and healthy to boot!
You can make this cake as one large one or as 8 portion-sized cakes. The only difference is in the form(s) you use.
Light and delicately flavored, this green tea mousse cake gets its enticing color from a mix of Japanese matcha powder and fresh spinach. The cashew nuts and the coconut milk give it just the right amount of body without weighing it down.
And don’t worry, you will not be able to taste the spinach. It will, however, tip this cake over on the healthy side of the aisle.
In this recipe I use dates and palm sugar as my sweeteners of choice but you can of course choose to use cane sugar instead of the palm sugar. Because matcha powder has such a delicate and subtle flavor, I do not advise using honey, maple syrup, or even date sugar for the mousse. Either one of those would probably cancel out that lovely subtle green tea flavor.
If you’d prefer a sweetener with no calories and which doesn’t raise blood sugar, then you may want to give erythritol a try. You can read my thoughts on this alternative sweeter here.
If you prefer, you can forego the base and serve the green tea mousse on its own. If doing this I would add a bit more sweetener, though. The dates in the base add quite a bit to the overall sweetness of the cake, so if you are omitting the dates the cake will not be sweet enough and as such lack flavor and depth.
If doing the mousse on its own serve it in a glass bowl for a lovely green effect.
Green Tea Mousse Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients for the base:
- 4 Medjool dates Stones removed
- ½ cup (125 ml) raw almonds
- ¾ cup (180 ml) desiccated coconut
- Zest of 1 lemon
- A few drops of water to pull it all together
Ingredients for the filling:
- 1 cup raw cashew nuts soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- 200 ml (7 oz.) coconut milk I use light coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons palm/coconut sugar or other mild flavored sweetener
- 2 tablespoons matcha powder + a couple of teaspoons more to serve
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or essence
- 3 large handfuls fresh spinach
- 1 ¾ cups (430 ml) unsweetened almond milk or milk of your choice
- 1 teaspoon powdered agar-agar
- Fresh berries to serve optional
Instructions
- Start by soaking your cashew nuts in boiling water for 20 minutes. While they soak continue with making the base layer.
To make the base:
- Line a spring-form with parchment- or baking paper. The size of the spring-form does not have to be exact but the larger the form the thinner the cake. I use one which is 7 inches / 18 cm in diameter. * If making individual portion-sized cakes see note below *
- In a food processor, process the almonds until coarsely chopped. Add the dates, coconut, and lemon zest and process until everything is mixed well and sticks together nicely. If the mixture is too dry add a few drops of water to pull it all together.
- Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the spring-form and press down firmly. Set aside.
To make the filling:
- Start by steaming the spinach in a pot or saucepan with a bit of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil and steam until the spinach is just wilted, no more. You want it to retain its bright green color so don’t overcook it. Drain and squeeze out the water, then chop it a bit.
- Combine the spinach with the soaked and drained cashew nuts, coconut milk, lemon juice, palm sugar, 2 tablespoons matcha powder, and the vanilla paste in a blender and blend until everything is completely smooth. If your coconut milk is very thick then add about a 1/4 cup of almond milk as well, this will make it easier to get the mixture completely smooth.
- Pour the almond milk into a small pot and whisk in the agar-agar powder. Heat the milk over low heat and let it simmer for about 30-45 seconds, whisking continuously. Be careful it doesn’t boil over, it can happen quickly.
- Start up the blender with the green filling mixture and, with the blender running, pour in the agar-agar milk and blend everything until it is all nicely mixed, then quickly pour the filling over your almond/coconut base. Gently tap the spring form a few times against your worktop to get rid of whatever air pockets or bubbles may be hiding in the filling.
- Put your cake in the fridge until nicely set, about an hour.
- Before serving, remove it from the spring-form and dust the top with extra matcha powder (using a small sieve) and decorate with fresh berries.
Notes
