This is an amazingly moist and aromatic pistachio and orange cake topped with a rich and flavorful cashew frosting. It also happens to be free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar and fats.

The addition of coconut flour makes this dessert choice an excellent source of fiber and protein. It also provides for the lovely moistness that characterizes this cake.

That being said, this is what I like to call a not so guilty pleasure. It gives me all of the satisfaction of an indulgent dessert, but without all the guilt that comes with it. Indeed, a dessert of pure bliss.

I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Cheers!

INGREDIENTS/SERVES 8-10

For the cake:

1 cup (100 gr.) coconut flour
1/2 cup (60 gr.) pistachios, ground/finely crushed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup (150 gr.) coconut sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup almond milk
freshly grated zest of half an orange
2 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract

For the cashew frosting:

1 1/2 cups cashews
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
5 tablespoons almond milk
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and line the bottoms of two greased 9 in. cake pans with parchment paper. I grease them with coconut oil prior to adding the parchment paper. Mix the coconut flour, ground pistachios, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Mix together the coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, mix in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Whisk in the almond milk, orange zest, and vanilla.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter in two batches. Whisk together just until the mixture is smooth and then pour the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans. Lightly bang the pans against your kitchen top to release any air bubbles and flatten the batter.

4. Bake for 22-25 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool for about 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

For the frosting:

Soak the cashews in water for at least 1 hour. Then, remove them from the water and place them in a food processor. Add all of the frosting ingredients into the processor and blitz until smooth. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water, depending on the consistency of the mixture, and blitz again. The frosting should be smooth, but not too thick.