Raw Rich Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Chia Jelly Filling

I've been longing to use my Chia Seeds to make jelly, as they turn gelatinous in liquid and make scrumptious jelly's and jams, puddings, have no flavor, are nutritious, and have the great Omega-3's we all need.
The other day I saw a beautiful Cake in the Strawberry section at the grocery store, it had fluffy chocolate frosting and a strawberry jelly filling. While the sugary idle didn't tempt me a bit, the idea of a raw version came on strong! It turned out better than amazing and we even celebrated after dinner because it looked so beautiful, of course it was even better to eat. Our family is a definite fan of chocolate and strawberries. The chocolate is rich and perfectly complemented by the sweet and sour strawberries in the jelly. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

I started with the Strawberry Jelly. Then it has time to set a bit before using it. This recipe made more than enough, and you can store the rest as a freezer jelly/jam or in the fridge for several days and use as a topping for raw ice-cream, or raw crepes.

For the Jelly

1 lb Fresh Strawberries, washed, dried, cored and cut in half
1/4 C Agave
1 T Chia Seeds

Add ingredients to the food processor and let process until you have tiny chunks of strawberry left. Transfer to a bowl and let thicken and set in the freezer or fridge while you make the frosting.

Quick Chocolate Frosting- I love this for a quick frosting for any raw brownie or cake or for a fruit dip.

1 C Organic, non-refined Coconut Oil
1/2 C Organic Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 C Raw Organic Agave
1/2 C Organic Cocoa Powder
 Dash of Sea Salt

Add to the blender and blend one cycle on high, make sure there are no extra pieces of coconut oil in your frosting. Transfer to a bowl and set in the freezer so it can firm up.

Rich Chocolate Cake
If you're not a fan of "rich" cake, you can add less cocoa, but as was said, it really complements the strawberries!

1 1/2 C Pecans
1 C Raw Almonds
1 C Walnuts 
15 Soft Medjool Dates, pitted

Blend nuts together until course crumbs are left.
Add the dates and blend until the dates are well incorporates and the mixture starts to clump together. You may need to stop and push down the sides a few times.

In another bowl add:
1 C Unsweetened, Shredded Coconut
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1 C Cocoa
1/4 C Agave

Mix together and add the nut/date mixture. Stir all of it. It is thick, so you may want to use your hands and mix it all together.

Finishing the Cake
1. Double line a round 9 inch cake pan with plastic wrap.
2. Add the cake mixture to the pan and press it down evenly.
3. Let set in the freezer 5-10 minutes or until a bit firm.
4. Take out Jelly, Frosting, and Cake.
5. Stir the jelly.
6. Whip up the frosting by stirring hard with a butter knife-it should be pretty firm when you go to use it.
7. Turn the cake over onto a plate big enough to hold it.
8. Frost the cake with the chocolate frosting, be sure to get those sides!
9. Make a center for the jelly by adding a "wall" of frosting around the edges of the cake. I chose little drops of frosting.
10. Fill the center with jelly, about 1 1/2 cups- but be careful not to overflow it.
11. Top it with extra fresh Strawberries.
12. Cool in the freezer or fridge until ready to serve. I like it in the freezer so the jelly chills together.