Raw Chocolate Mint Grasshopper Cake

There is a wide, wide world of raw dessert recipes out there on the WWW, so I don't know how I got so lucky to happen upon this one from Diana of http://www.soapandchocolate.com/. I love the flavor combination of mint and chocolate (Junior Mints? Peppermint Patties? Come on!) so I knew I had to give it a try. Well, the little effort that it took was worth it. It looked pretty and tasted WOW! My husband and I gave it a 9 out of 10. You would never guess that there is spinach in it!

It was originally posted on http://www.choosingraw.com/guest-post-scs-diana-on-making-raw-desserts/ so check out that entire blog posting for an amazing primer on making your own raw dessert creations. The only change that I made was to put it in an 8" springform pan instead of an 8" x 8" square tray. I think it's more elegant this way.

Raw Chocolate Mint Grasshopper Cake

Ingredients:

CRUST
3/4 cup almonds
5 dates, pitted
10 prunes (or more dates, if preferred–replace 2 prunes with 1 date)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (raw cacao powder if you have it)
pinch sea salt

FILLING
1 1/2 cups soaked cashews
1 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tsp mint extract
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp xanthan gum (available at Whole Foods)
pinch sea salt
1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (raw cacao powder if you have it)

Directions:
1. Lightly oil a square baking dish (8″x8″ or so). Set aside.
2. Combine all CRUST ingredients in a food processor and pulse/blend until crumbly, but sticky enough to stay put when pressed against the side of the work bowl.
3. Empty crust mixture into the baking dish and press evenly onto the bottom. Set aside.
4. Combine all FILLING ingredients EXCEPT coconut oil and cocoa powder in a blender and blend smooth. Add coconut oil and blend again. This should yield about 4 cups of cream filling.

5. Pour half of the filling mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly across the crust layer. Place baking dish in the freezer and allow to freeze until firm to the touch (probably at least an hour or so).
6. Meanwhile, re-blend the remaining filling with the cocoa powder. Add a drizzle of water to thin, if necessary. I probably added nearly 1/4 cup water to get the texture similar to the pre-cocoa consistency.

7. Once the green layer has hardened in the baking dish, pour the remaining, chocolate-ized filling overtop, creating a new brown layer.
8. Freeze again until firm to the touch. Cut into small rectangles and serve. Store in the refrigerator (or keep in freezer for more of an ice cream cake effect).