No-Bake Red Velvet Cake Bites with Coconut Icing
By Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN
We made these cake bites to share in the Reboot with Joe office this week as a little Valentine’s Day treat and they were a huge hit. They are delicious, easy to make and won’t wreak havoc on your 2015 Resolutions for healthier eating either. They’re loaded with healthy fat and lower in sugar than other red velvet desserts; and as an extra bonus, we were able to cut back on total sugar used by choosing maple syrup that is more concentrated than other sweeteners, and is also packed with antioxidants.
You can also get creative with these cake bites as you can switch their color by adding different colored juice (a healthy food coloring!) and by swapping cashews for almonds or another nut. Make these treats for you and your favorite Valentine or simply make them for fun any time throughout the year.
Ingredients
Cake Bites:
- 1 cup (150 g) cashews
- 1 cup (100 g) coconut shreds or flour
- 8-10 dates, pitted
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp beet juice
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- dash of sea salt
Icing:
- 1/4 cup (55 g) coconut butter
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Directions
- Add cashews to a food processor and process until a fine crumble forms.
- Add in the remaining cake bite ingredients to the processor and process until a sticky dough-like consistency is formed.
- Roll the dough into quarter-sized balls.
- Set in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden.
- While the cake bites are in the fridge, make the icing by adding the coconut butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup into a bowl and stir well until all combined. (Hint: it’s easiest to melt the coconut butter and oil first).
- Then spoon a dollop of icing onto the cake bites, sprinkle with a little extra sea salt and enjoy!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes (in the fridge)
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 16
Serving Size: 1 cake bite
Calories: 130
Fat: 8g
Trans Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 80mg
Carbohydrates: 15g
Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 12g
Protein: 2g