Gingerbread Toffee Cake (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

With Christmas right around the corner, I’ve been on a total gingerbread kick! I’m not a big fan of baking though, unfortunately, since I don’t enjoy sticking to exact measurements. I just love the flexibility and creativity that comes with “unbaking”.  That’s why at a time when everyone else is baking cookies, I’m leaning more towards raw or no-bake desserts, as usual. But to put a festive twist on treats, I created this delicious gingerbread toffee cake, which happens to be one of the best raw cakes I’ve ever tried!!

The not-so-secret ingredient that gives this cake its incredible texture and buttery flavor is raw cacao butter (or cocoa butter). Most raw cakes use coconut oil, which is fine but comes with 2 issues. First, there are many people who simply don’t like the taste of coconut oil. Then there is the texture problem. Since coconut oil melts at warmer temperatures, desserts made with coconut oil have to be frozen for the most part and can’t sit outside for too long. Otherwise, they turn into a messy mush. That’s why I highly recommend using cacao butter, which is solid at room temperature. So when serving the cake to guests, you can store it out for a while with peace of mind, without worrying that it would melt!

Since cacao butter is solid, to use it in recipes you have to melt it first. I’ve learned the hard way that heating it up directly on the stovetop, even on the lowest setting, does not work well with cacao butter, as it tends to alter its delicate flavor. So, it’s best to use the double boiler method explained in the recipe notes below and melt it over steam.

You can purchase cacao butter online or at health food stores. However, if you have trouble finding it, feel free to use coconut oil instead. Just beware that the cake will be softer in this case and shouldn’t be left outside the fridge for too long.