Tart Raspberry Granola Cake with Almond Honey Drizzle

The Low Down

A couple things you need to know about this alleged "cake": (can you call something cake when it is this good for you?)

1. The Taste Test: I force fed this to my family.  They love me so they have no choice but to taste test what I make.  Good news tho!  They loved it so you will too. I even caught a couple of them taking some home for breakfast the next day. So basicially, its a real winner.  

2. Health Status: This "cake" falls under the category of better for you than last night's dinner and probably tomorrow's breakfast. Removing all associated guilt with the term - cake.  It's chock full of really good for you fats from the almonds, protein from the oats & almonds, and tons of fiber from all of the ingredients. It's aimed at keeping your waistline slim, your heart healthy, and your inflammation a thing of the past.  It travels well and makes for a wonderful breakfast bar. 

3. You Decide: Its one of the easiest things you can make.  I even broke down 3 different ways to make it (below), so that you decide just how easy making this cake will be. 

4. Frozen for Convenience: I use frozen raspberries, because I always have them in my freezer.  If you wanna use fresh, go for it.  It won't make a big difference. 

5.  Have Fun: This recipe (like all the FastBeets recipes) requires you to have fun making it.  You don't need to fuss about having exactly the right amount of any of the ingredients.  In fact, I'm pretty sure if you skip one of the ingredients things will still be OK.  It is designed to be fool-proof.  So you can't really mess it up.  Its not chemistry or rocket science and you don't need a degree in pastry baking to be able to do it.  As long as you can turn a spatula in a bowl, you've got this. 

You can do this recipes in 3 different ways:  

1. Throw everything except the raspberries into a blender blend it till you get a smooth batter, then add the raspberries, pop into a cake pan and throw it into the oven.
2. Use pre-made almond flour and pre-made date paste instead of blending the almonds and dates.  Throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Then transfer to cake plate and throw into the oven. Although making your own almond flour will make it taste slightly better, this is by far the fastest way. 
3. Blend just the almonds into an almond flour, and blend the dates for a quick and fresh date paste. Then transfer to a bowl, mix everything together and pop into the oven. 

This 3rd method will provide you with the best results and my favorite consistency.  The 1st method is the easiest, and will yield a much different consistency, that being a very moist almost gooey like center.  The 2nd one has the best consistency, and is super easy since you won't need a blender, but using fresh almonds and dates in my opinion is always best when you can.

This is YOUR cake though, so you do YOU.  Do whatever is easier for you and that you have time for.  You can't go wrong with any of the methods. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almonds (or almond flour)
• 1.5 cups oat bran
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1/4 cup tart cherry butter
• 1/2 bag of frozen raspberries
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 6 medjool dates (pits removed) or more if you need it sweeter
• 2 cups of plant-based milk (or water)

Method

1. Preheat over to 350 (or 450 if you're in a rush)
2. In a high speed blender, blend the almonds until you get a flour like consistency. 
3. Place the almond flour, baking powder, & oat bran in a bowl and mix well. 
4. In high speed blender, blend dates with 1 cup of almond milk until smooth.
5. Add the date liquid, the other cup of almond milk, the cherry butter, the coconut butter and the lemon juice to bowl and mix well. 
6. Add in the frozen raspberries.  Fold them in gently.  Note, they will fall apart a bit in the batter due to the different temperatures.  This is okay and makes the batter taste more raspberry like. 
7. Add parchment paper to a baking tray and pour ingredients in.  You may split the batter in two trays for a thinner cake and a faster cooking time. 
8. Cook in oven for 30 minutes at 350 or 20 minutes at 450 if the batter is split. 

Almond Honey Drizzle

For Almond Honey Drizzle, place equal parts raw honey and equal parts almond butter in a small bowl.  About two tablespoons each. Mix well. Drizzle to top of cake.