This recipe is long over due. We made it a few weeks ago and debated what to do…why?? well we were not pleased with how the pictures came out that we were a little embarrassed to share them. Michelle did her best to edit them, but still feel like it is hard to really make out how wonderful this cake came out!
We even made a video but decided it was no good as the lighting was horrible!!! We quickly found out that Lori’s new house doesn’t have very good lighting 
and since we do our videos from our iphones…ya you can only imagine the quality. so we will have to figure something out soon for videos.
But we realized this recipe had to be shared…it is just that good. And did we say very addicting!
It was one of those days, we were sitting at our computers working and all of a sudden got the urge for dessert. We quickly brainstormed what to do, and noticed we had a very old irish moss paste that needed to be used up.
Our mission: to make a unbaked – raw cake. A cake that had 2 layers with creamy, rich, not overly sweet layers.
Mission Accomplished!
Chocolate Pistachio Cake.
Can we just say… WOW!
That is what this dessert is… WOW!
We got pistachios at Trader Joe’s earlier in the week and decided to make a dessert using them. We also wanted something that we could use irish moss in since it has been awhile since we have made a recipe using it, and it needed to be used up.
irish moss paste – check out our video of Michelle making it
We love our irish moss in raw foods, especially desserts as it really helps cut down on the total fat and nuts in the recipe! Plus it is full of vitamins and minerals, bonus!
And this recipe features some of our favorites – COCONUT BUTTER and COCONUT OIL.
A lot of people ask about coconut oil vs coconut butter. As you can see from the picture above there is a big difference in the two. Most of the time you can sub them in recipes. Well certain recipes!!! When you want something creamy always use coconut butter, as it works the best over the oil. Just our two cents.
We try to always have both on hand as we never know what kind of mood we will be in.
Purelytwins: Chocolate Pistachio Bar Cake
makes one 6 inch cake
Ingredients:
bottom – cake layer
- 1 cup pistachios, whole
- 3 tablespoons coconut nectar (or honey, agave, or maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, liquid
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Place pistachios in food processor and grind into flour. Then add in cocoa powder, sea salt, and vanilla. Pulse together. Then dump ingredients into bowl and stir in coconut nectar and and coconut oil till batter comes together.
Press into the bottom of a 6 in springform pan lined with parchment paper.
cream filing – second layer
- 1 cup irish moss (or cashews, mac nuts or almonds, must be soaked and rinsed)
- 1/3 cup coconut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut nectar (or any liquid sweetener of choice)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
directions: place all ingredients into vitamix blender and blend till creamy.
Pour over chocolate cake layer. Set cake in freezer for about 1-2 hours till firm to the touch.
May store in refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or freezer for longer shelf life but promise it won’t last that long!
This recipe is raw (unbaked), vegan, and free of gluten, grains, soy and corn. And sweetened with coconut nectar, but you could also use maple syrup or agave. We just love our coconut nectar.
You can enjoy the cake plain or jazz it up some with topping the cake with a chocolate sauce.
Here is our quick Chocolate Sauce:
- 2 spoonfuls of cocoa
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- stevia to taste
**add in almond or coconut milk if want more creamy and runny
Enjoy!
We were always fans of pistachios but this combo of chocolate and a vanilla cream just set us to be obsessed. Each layer goes together perfectly! Trust us it is that good!!! You will be wanting this yummy cake all the time. We finished it off in 2 days 
Good desserts don’t last very long in our house.
dying over this. i wish i had someone to make it for me!
Nicole recently posted..Week 27 Update: Pregnancy Surprises!
Nicole wish we could send you some.
Wow, this looks amazing! I haven’t used Irish moss before. I need to change that now! And that chocolate sauce…YUM!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) recently posted..It’s FRIDAY!!!
Sarena thank you!
Ok, YUM! this dessert looks delicious! I am most certainly making it today… the recipe looks so simple, plus I actually have all the ingredients! Thanks for posting, ‘bad’ pictures and all
Christa @ Edible Balance recently posted..Simple Cravings
Awesome Christa hope you like it as much as we did. It is uniquely different
I LOVE pistachios. In fact, I won a year’s supply once–it was awesome.
I’ve never heard of irish moss–I’m going to check out your links to learn more. Thanks!
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance recently posted..Ease the Pain: Topical Pain Reliever Review
Michelle awesome. And if you have any questions about irish moss just let us know.
This looks great to me, photos and all!
Amber Shea @Almost Vegan recently posted..Juice Cleanse Review: Pressed Juicery
Thank you Amber!!
Yummy I want this cake! Looks delish girls. Irish moss and coconut butter are two of my favorite ingredients. I think I could easily just eat a bowl of the topping
Heather @ Sweetly Raw recently posted..Vegan Peanut Butter Ice Cream
us too Heather
pistachios. coconut butter ? sign me up! i am obsessed with coconut butter, i love to eat it right off the spoon! i think it goes well with…everything haha
I know right, we love it too! we eat it right off the spoon too
so good!
I have No problem with those photos and then you add the chocolate sauce and it’s Bam! Love it…making!
thanks Robyn
each time I come here saying “I need to try irish moss”… now I can finally say I have – we used it a couple times in class last month, SO cool. I can buy it now and know what I’m doing!
this looks awesome, I can almost taste it…
Kris recently posted..cherry cheesecake popsicles
Awesome Kris! we love it
I absolutely love pistachios in desserts and this looks divine. Never heard of irish moss, so I’ll have to watch the video. Will be anxious to try.
kim@hungryhealthygirl recently posted..Healthy Fats
This looks awesome! How much Irish moss did you use? Was it soaked Irish Moss or Irish Moss paste? Do you measure the Irish Moss before or after soaking?
Thanks!!!!
This looks fantastic! I haven’t braved the Irish moss yet, but clearly I need to experiment!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table recently posted..Boycotts and Friday Finds
yes we love it.
I still think your photos are pretty!
I have been trying to find irish moss everywhere, but can’t find it for the life of me…so sad.
ya it is hard to find, we only get it online from either raw food world or one lucky duck. and thanks, we try to make sure the pictures are pretty even if the lighting is not
Have you ever gotten it fro Mountain Rose Herbs? They have it, too. Do you not recommend it from this source?
Chris I am assuming you are talking about irish moss? we only get it from raw food world.
[...] and Lori posted a chocolate pistachio layered cake. I need to make [...]
This looks unbelievable !!!! Pistachios are my favorite nut (besides macadamias). Mmm!
Lauren recently posted..Fire Jumping and More Salads
I bought Irish moss months ago, and have been too intimidated to use it. I have it soaking now, and I can’t wait to make this cake.
I just enjoyed some of your savory kale crackers I bought before you stopped making them. I am going to be sad when I finish them off and can’t buy anymore
Love all your recipes!!!
What a yummy cake full of some of my favorite ingredients!
Shay @ Whine Less, Breathe More recently posted..Rockin’ Summer Night
The crust on this looks amazinggggggg. I adore a good, thick layer of crust. Glad you posted
Erica recently posted..Body Step Launch & Kaylin Happenings
we like thick crust too!!
Looks great. Do you think gelled agar would work instead of Irish moss?
Mary @ Fit and Fed recently posted..Walnut Butter
Not sure about agar as we never really work with it, so we can’t help with suggestions, sorry
Do you have a substitution for the Irish moss paste that you can reccommend?? I am dying to try this cake but am avoiding the use off the sea weed ( just a personal preference :0) )
Looks so yummy!!!!!!
you can use cashew butter to replace it.