Today I turn 40 – yieks…I can’t believe that. Turning 30 never made me think about anything, but 40 – that is close to 50. I always say that age does not matter, and really it does not matter. Because it is all about how you feel and perceive yourself.

Some 50- or 60-year-old can be much healthier than a 30-year-old and have a better mindset. In many ways I am healthier and more fit now than when I was 30, but more challenged in other health issues. I feel wiser and have come to a place in life where I have reached more insight in myself and have a clearer idea of the life I want to lead. In 10 years, by the will of God, I will hopefully be even more wise and maybe fitter than ever. No one knows what the future brings, but all you can do is to try your best and never stop trying.

My 11-year-old was hoping that we were having a delicious cake from the baker for my birthday – she loves cakes and everything sweet. Guess who she has inherited that from? I am sure you can tell…Well she remembered that I had decided not to have any refined sugar for 3 months and was quite disappointed. Why couldn’t I take a break on my birthday? I had to explain that I did this for the sake of my health and did not want to take a break. Well, my mind still associates sugar with many feelings but my body does not crave sugar anymore and as long as I have reel food, I do not need refined sugar. I reminded her that a raw cake could be just as delicious as an ordinary cake. I am sure she does not agree with me, and that is okay – she is still a child and cannot see the bigger picture. Living in a society filled with sugary snacks and foods all around is difficult to navigate in – even for adults! So, it is no wonder children cannot see the meaning with healthy food, and this gives parents a huge task and a very difficult one I can promise you that.

For this birthday I really wanted something chocolatey and I thought of Nutella, but how can a raw cake taste like Nutella – so sweet that one table spoon can make your blood sugar hit the ceiling, but at the same time so nostalgic for many. I thought I would try adding hazelnuts and cocoa to a raw cake and see what that would be like. I thought of adding melted chocolate but was afraid it would be too intense and too much chocolate for me – I do love chocolate but in cakes I preferer fruits and berries. I was not at all sure the combination would work and could not taste as it is Ramadan and I am fasting, so I really took a chance. Luckily the cake turned out great, very smooth with a lovely taste of cocoa and hazelnuts. I choose to decorate with berries to add a bit of tanginess and that worked just perfect, if you love chocolate very much you can decorate with chocolate glaze or melted chocolate.

Does it taste like Nutella – well for a healthy option I would say it is a good substitute, but to be honest it is not Nutella because Nutella is sooo sweet and the cake has a more balanced sweetness. I urge you to try the cake, it is easy to make and is easy to make in advance if you are having guests so you can take care of other things and not worry about dessert. Please tag me with @sihalifestyle I would really love to see your version.

Happy birthday to me – I am grateful for everything in life and happy I can have cake. Thank you for reading my blog – I am honored.

Nutella Raw Cake:

Makes a 20 cm springform, line the base with baking paper and grease the sides with a little melted coconut oil.

Ingredients:

Base:

125 g almonds

75 g hazelnuts, blanched

150 g dates, pitted

20 g melted coconut oil

Pinch of Himalaya salt

Filling:

125 g cashew, soaked in water overnight

125 g hazelnuts (blanched), soaked in water overnight

200 g coconut milk

150 g coconut oil, melted but not hot

1 tea spoon vanilla powder

4 table spoons cocoa

150 g agave

1/4 lemon, juice

Pinch of Himalaya salt

Chocolate glaze: (optional)

30 g coconut oil

15 g cocoa

30 g agave nectar

Berries for decoration

Making the base:

1. Place nuts in a food processor and chop.
2. Add the dates, coconut oil and salt. Now process until you have a cohesive mass.
3. Press the base into the pan and press down gently. Place in the fridge or freezer to set.
   
   

Making the filling:

1. Add cashew nuts, hazelnuts, coconut milk, coconut oil, lemon juice, agave, vanilla powder, cocoa powder and salt to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth – you might need to stop and scrape the sides down so all gets blended well. (Note. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can use a food processor. My experience is  that the texture is smoother in a blender, but the taste is just as wonderful).
2. Remove the base from the fridge/freezer and pour the batter over it.
3. Smooth the top and tap the spring form to remove air bubbles.
4. Return the cakes to the freezer and let set. I usually allow mine to set overnight, but if you are in a hurry a couple of hours could also be enough.

Some hours before serving: remove the cake from the freezer, remove from the pan onto your serving plate. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before decorating it.  You can choose to glaze the whole cake, drizzle the glaze around or serve it without any glaze. Decorate with your choice of berries, fruits, nuts and/or chocolate.

Glaze:

1. Gently mix the coconut oil, cocoa and agave to form a glaze.
2. Pour the glaze over the cake.
3. Let set in the fridge.