Who doesn’t love no-bake cake recipes?
Few pans and bowls to clean, no hot oven (welcome during hot weather seasons), and easy to store, just refrigerate or freeze.
And healthy. Because when you make a vegan or plant-based no-bake cake, you use healthy nutritious fresh ingredients, and you don’t break their nutritious structure with heat. So what you get is a dessert full of fiber, protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and many more benefits.
This particular post presents the bare bones of a basic recipe for a no-bake slice cake. Just 4 ingredients in the crust, and 5 in the creamy filling. But if you want to add more bells and whistles, I provide you the options!
For instance, you can swap and add ingredients to the crust to increase bulk and nutrition and influence the texture.
And for instance, you can swap and add ingredients to the creamy filling to add to the flavor profile, and/or affect density or creaminess. Also feel free to speckle that layer with added chips or berries or seeds.
Think of this recipe as a blank canvas. Start with it, and then consider possible forks in the road. Choices.
Because that’s what makes life interesting, right? Choices.
Now, of course, you can make some radical changes to my crust recipe. Such as, you can skip it completely and just use crushed graham crackers or even speculoos cookies, mixed with a bit of coconut oil.
And you can customize the creamy recipe as well, although I suggest you stick to the basics of my recipe somewhat to retain the texture and nutrition I intended. One important ingredient I happen to include is coconut butter. I add it to most of my slice recipes because this delicious superfood not only makes no-bake cakes creamier, it adds nutrients that support digestion, battle disease and slow aging.
You can certainly change the flavor profile of the creamy recipe easily by swapping the lime (which is present in the base recipe to brighten the flavor) for lemon or orange or even an essence, such as peppermint. And I recommend optional chips or berries or seeds to add texture and additional nutrition sometimes. I personally made this recipe with poppyseeds recently because poppyseeds are a great source of minerals, specifically niacin, folate, calcium, iron and zinc.
Since we are freezing to maintain structure, you can add almost anything that freezes! Although I wouldn’t suggest straight ice. That could break some teeth.😂
I hope you make this basic no-bake slice and share it with me so I can see how you customized it!
Ultimate Guide to No-Bake Vegan Cakes {simple starter recipe + options}
makes 6 mini cakes or 3 (4-inch) personal cakes or 1 (8-inch) square cake (see links to pans below)
Ingredients
Basic Crust
- 1 cup almond flour or hazelnut flour, or coconut flour
- 1/2 cup almonds or more matching flour, or walnuts, or pecans, or cacao powder or buckwheat groats or quinoa pops
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or 3 medjool dates or nut butter
- pinch of sea salt
Cream Layer
- 2 cups soaked cashews
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4-1/2 cup nut milk or water or herbal tea
- 1/3 cup coconut butter
- optional brightener: 2 tbsp lime juice or swap for another juice or extract
- optional flavor enhancer: 1 tsp vanilla paste
Optional White “Candy” Ribbon Layer
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup soaked cashews
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp coconut nectar
Color it!!: BLUE or PURPLE: 1/4 cup blueberries or 1 tsp matcha blue or butterfly tea flower; PINK: 1/4 cup raspberries or 1 tsp pitya powder or pulp ; YELLOW: 1/4 cup mango or 1 tsp turmeric; GREEN: 1 tsp matcha tea
Optional Toppings
- Crushed Nuts
- Chocolate Bar Shards
- Chia Fruit Jam 1 cups frozen berries, 1 tsp chia seeds, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- Chocolate Cream melted chocolate bar, or healthy chocolate sauce = equal parts cacao powder, maple syrup, melted coconut oil
Useful Equipment to make No-Bake Cakes
- A mini food processor (I use this brand)
- 1 6-inch square pan w/ removable bottom
- 1 6 mini cake pan w/ removable bottoms (I use this brand)
- 3 4-inch round individual pans w/ removable bottoms (I use this brand)
Instructions
Prep Work
-
Rub pan of choice interiors with a light sweeping layer of coconut oil and some like to add parchment in some way, for instance cut a circle or square and line the bottom of the springform or removable bottom pans. If you use a traditional square pan, fully line with parchment paper and overhanging edges.
Make the Base
-
Process base ingredients until crumbly. Do not over process or it will become pasty. Press this coarse layer into the bottom of your pan. Use a spoon to carefully flatten the surface, making the crust layer even. Put pan in freezer while you make creamy layer.
Make the Creamy Filling
-
Blend all ingredients until very smooth. Pour mixture over crust, cover pan loosely with a piece of parchment to keep it from drying out and cracking, and freeze 3-4 hours.
Or,if you intend to make the additional white ribbon layer, blend those ingredients and pour on either the crust before you add the main creamy layer or pour on the creamy layer.
Either way, make sure the first layer had at least 1 hour in the freezer, before adding another layer on top of it.
Then add your toppings and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for a month! If frozen, defrost 20 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Easy Chocolate Raw Slices
Raw Pink Cashew Cream Parfait Slices
Raw Pumpkin Turmeric Cake
Lavender Lemon Cashew Cream Slices
If you use my guide and make a cake, tag me on Instagram so I can share on stories! And use the image below if you want to share this guide on pinterest. Thank you!
Nadia says
As much as I love baked cakes, I love the simplicity of a no-bake treat. These cakes looks delicious and so creamy! The figs on top look so beautiful 😀
Debbie says
Hi Nadia, thank you sweetie, and your cakes are so amazing, and it is so helpful that you create videos to show us how! Dee xx
The Vegan 8 says
What an incredible post Dee! The cakes look incredibly beautiful, especially with those gorgeous figs on top and your detailed tips are so wonderful! I love that you provide so many different options, even with the crust, to really let somebody make it their own. I am a huge lover of coconut butter as well and use it in my no-bake cakes. It has such a wonderful natural sweet flavor and firms up so nicely. Such a fantastic post Dee!
Debbie says
Hi Brandi! So happy you like my tips and that you also use coconut butter. I am amazed so many people never heard of it. I am going to try to figure out how to make it from real coconut so I don’t have to buy it. 😊 Thank you for stopping by my post! Dee xx
Debbie says
Thank you so much Brandi! You are so kind, I am so happy you also love to work with coconut butter. I am beginning to like it more than coconut cream these days! Dee xx
Ela says
This is a wonderful basic recipe for no-bake cakes, Dee. I agree that coconut butter adds so much creaminess and richness, it’s a wonderful ingredient. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I am sure it’s very helpful for so many people who never made a raw cake before and are afraid to experiment. And btw. I have yet to try hazelnut flour, it sounds so good! Lots of love, Ela
Debbie says
Hi Ela, thank you for that lovely compliment! So nice of you to read my post and I know you have created so many amazing cakes on your own site. I love your chocolate ripple banana loaf for instance. Yes, you must try hazelnut flour; I love the flavor so much! Dee xx
Bo says
Wow, Dee! I love how this recipe is so adaptable. I really appreciate flexible recipes like this, also love all the options for different layers and colours! And the optional flavour lift of lime mmm. It’s amazing how much choice you have with vegan desserts and how creative you can be with minimal effort. LOVE a no bake slice and this post has me inspired to get creative this week. I have some cashews that need using up and finally some space in my freezer hehe. Thank you so much for another creative, super flexible nutritious recipe, Dee!
Bo xxx
Debbie says
Oh Bo, you are so so sweet. I am so happy I inspired you to make a no-bake dessert soon. That means I get to see yet another beautiful dessert on your gorgeous IG page.😊 Dee xx.
Nisha / @rainbowplantlife says
This is such a useful overview of no-bake vegan cakes, Dee! I think my favorite ingredients to add are tahini and coconut cream and topping with chocolate bar shards 🙂
Debbie says
Oh Nisha, I want to try the shards, as soon as I figure out how to make shards.😁 Thank you so much for the tip! Dee xx.
Sylph says
This is so informative with so many options for creativity and inspiration. Beautiful post, Dee.
Debbie says
Thank you so much Sylph! So happy you enjoyed the post! Dee xx