Almond milk and an Almond & Buckwheat Chocolate Cake

I have only been making my own nut milk for the last couple of months even though I have known about the recipe for some time. I truly had no idea how easy it would be and how amazing it would taste. If you have ever bought commercial almond milk before you, like me might have been put off. But the real deal is a beautiful thing. Both my children ask me to make it all the time. My daughter loves helping me squeeze the almond milk in the morning, it's become a bit of a regular morning ritual.  You can use any nut or seed following the same process. So far almond is my favourite.

The one thing i can't bare to do is throw away the nut pulp. I've made raw almond humus, put the pulp in home made bread, had it on my quinoa for breakfast and now...... this cake.
I was inspired to make this cake after flicking through Tessa Kiros' book Food from many greek kitchens.
The cake was called Fanouropita "Cake for lost things". It can be made any time something is lost like a dear possession, a dear one or when your mind is after an answer.
The cake that served as the inspiration wasn't chocolate and was made with orange juice, olive oil and wheat.
So I guess I can't really call it a cake for lost things. Perhaps rather a chocolate cake for contemplation.
The cake is very quick and easy to whip up. It's also wonderfully rich, you'd never know that it is vegan and gluten free.

NUT MILK

INGREDIENTS

makes about 800ml

1 cup of Almonds

4 cups of  filtered water 

1 teaspoon of raw honey ( if you a strict vegan use maple or agave or leave it out)

a pinch of good quality sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Soak the almonds in a cup of filtered water for 8 hrs. Drain and rinse. Place in the blender with the four cups of water, honey and salt. Blend on high speed for about a minute. Strain the milk using a muslin cloth or a nut milk bag squeezing and excess liquid as you go. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to three days. Use the pulp in the following recipe or anything you like.

ALMOND, BUCKWHEAT AND CHOCOLATE CAKE

(Chocolate cake for contemplation)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of Buckwheat flour

1 & 1/3 cup of almond pulp (pressed down)

1 cup of cacao powder

1 & 1/3 cup raw organic sugar

200ml of grape seed oil

1/2 cup almond milk

seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod

1 tsp of baking soda

Gluten free organic icing sugar to dust

DIRECTIONS

Grease and flour (with the grape seed oil and buckwheat flour) a 22cm springform cake tin. Turn the oven on to 180 degrees celsius.

Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowel and beat with an electric beater on high for about a minute.

the cake will be a little thicker in consistency to other cakes. You will have to press it down with your hands to flatten it into the cake tin. Bake for about forty minutes. The cake should be firm to touch all over .

Leave it to cool in the tin for five minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.

ENJOY!