When the World Goes Peanuts ~ LA PENSINE MUTINE (EN)

Mankind is supposed to have evolved from apes. As you probably noticed, that may be the case for me, given how much I love bananas, peanuts and coconut! Never mind the clichés, I devised this impromptu last-minute cake for a birthday party, combining two previously published recipes (Chocolate Bliss for filling and Birdie's Favourite Treat for crust). And it was absolutely delicious. However, I would recommend serving small portions as it is very nourishing and high in fat.

Ingredients

Serves 8:

Crust

- 88 g almonds
- 36 g raisins
- 74 g pitted dates

Filling

- 225 g cashews
- 100 ml water
- 60 g coconut oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp agave syrup
- ¼ tsp vanilla powder

Topping

- shelled peanuts (unsalted)
- dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Soak dates in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften them up. Drain and process with remaining crust ingredients to a lumpy texture and press onto the bottom of a 18-centimetre diameter spring-form pan. Chill in the freezer while you're making the filling.

Mix all the ingredients for the topping, adding water progressively while processing to a thick smooth dough. Spread over base, tapping the mould to remove any trapped air bubbles, and then smoothen top with a spatula. Freeze for 1 or 2 more hours, then remove from mould.

Coarsely chop peanuts and spread on top of the cake. Sprinkle with a handful of chocolate chips and store in the fridge with a lid on top.

NOTE: After demoulding, you may add a coating of dark chocolate melted with a tablespoon of oil before adding chopped peanuts, but you will need to put it back in the freezer to harden for an additional 15 minutes. If you don't like peanuts, check out the recipes mentioned in the introduction for a full chocolate variant.