Get out the mortar and pestle and give it a good coat of almond oil to get things ready cause we're about to mash our way into delicious city.
Bake this the day before you plan on serving it to let it cool and congeal before steaming it into squishy perfection. It's a bit of a process so why not enjoy some tea while baking? Maybe make a little too much tea... say, a cup too much. I used The Blue Teapot's Energy Tea with black and green tea, manna grass and stinging nettle, sunflower blossoms and other wonderful things I would have never though to infuse in hot water and drink.
To start things off assemble:
The mortar and pestle, a seed grinder (coffee grinder dedicated to spices and seeds)
6 Medjool dates, pitted and torn into a few chunks
2 Tbsp honey
1 very ripe banana
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pure sunflower oil
30g of flax seed
1/2 unsweetened rice milk/almond milk
1/4 tsp salt
Mash the dates with the honey in the mortar, add the banana and oil
Grab a small bowl and grind the flax in the seed grinder, add rice milk and leave it alone to do its thing. This mix forms a stabilizing goo that works a lot like eggs in the mix
Next:
Grab a sifter/mesh strainer and large bowl to combine the following
35g white rice flour (1/4 cup)
35g brown rice flour (1/4 cup)
35g buckwheat flour (1/4 cup)
30g potato flour (scant 1/4 cup)
70g tapioca flour (heaping 1/2 cup)
30g raw cocoa nibs
1 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate
Sift together the flours and combine with a whisk, grind the cocoa nibs in the seed grinder and finely grate the bakers chocolate into the mix.
The real kicker to this cake is the contrast between chewy sweet-breadish cake and the seed-riddled yet smooth filling. I cheated on this step and used yogurt. Soy yogurt could be used if you wanted to keep it vegan or even just silken tofu smashed to a thick cream.
For the filling:
Set up a double boiler, which in my kitchen is just a fancy way of saying throw a big stainless bowl over a pot of boiling water, grab a spatula and get the following ingredients together
1oz unsweetened bakers chocolate
15g coconut oil
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup plain, high-fat yogurt... you know, the good stuff.
1/2 cup tea, twice (aren't you glad you brewed that big ol' pot?)
15g chia seeds
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the double boiler. Add the honey and stir in the yogurt. Before things get too thick and start drying up add the cup of tea and mix. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat and keep stirring. Add the chia seeds and another 1/2 cup of tea, stir to homogenize.
You'll wind up with a mix that's about 250g. Take 50g out and set aside. To the remaining 200g add another 45g of chia seeds and stir. Chia seeds have an external coating that swells into a protective jelly shell when it meets enough moisture. You wind up with a crunchy filling that doesn't have seeds all stuck together in a chalky mass. It's slick and crunchy and chewy and... you're almost there. I swear.
Assembly:
Vanilla extract can be used if you feel like. Take that pinch of salt from way back at the beginning and throw it in what should now be a thick flax/rice milk mix. Put some vanilla in the dates/banana mix if you feel like using it. Combine the flax/rice with the dates/banana, add the 50g of reserved chocolate/yogurt blend, throw it in the flour mix and stir until it all comes together. No wheat = no gluten = no devastating results if you stir too much.
I used a silicone fluted cake pan but you can use anything really. Baking times will vary but keep in mind I invented this recipe out of my crazy brain on the fly. I'm sure you can make it work.
Heat the oven to 175C/350F, use just over 1/2 the batter to cover the bottom and sides of the pan, spoon in filling, top with the remaining batter.
Bake for 1 hour, until it's firm and a toothpick inserted in the batter portion of the cake comes out clean. Let it cool down in the pan before you flip it out and let it cool some more
You can eat it like this... but its a bit tough and chewy. It'll do in a pinch, like a great energy bar on steroids, but if you want my advice: put down the fork, put it in a covered dish and put it in the refrigerator and leave it for the morning. It makes great breakfast.
The capper:
Set up a covered steamer, like a big ol' bamboo contraption, and steam a slice or two of cake for 7-13 minutes; until it seems nice and soft. Throw it on a plate with some fruit, maybe a drizzle of honey or caramel, try some nutmeg or cinnamon or whatever spice you're in the mood for. I used a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk, strawberry, some kiwi, and a few grinds of my new favorite spice mill: PC's Sugar, Chocolate & Cinnamon blend. I've been using it on absolute everything from drinks to oatmeal.
Brew up some new tea and enjoy!
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