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Lavender Fudge Cheesecake
Limitations. They can be fantastic when they are real and accepting them puts you in a better place. Accepting the reality of an injury and the time needed to heal, has been a nourishing limitation for me. And I’m generally better off when I accept my body’s regenerative need for sleep, in the spite of the fact that I’m feeling inspired and would like to stay up all night being creative.
But then there are those pesky pretend limitations that go around masquerading as real limitations, creating walls inside our mind that we project out into the world in the form of obstacles that simply don’t need to be there. I wonder how many hurdles spook us because they seem higher than they really are? Some perceived hurdles are just smoke and mirrors, all bluff and hot air, invented by fears and beliefs inside us that we are barely aware of.
I was asked to make a magic cake last night, by my spirit guides, whom I refer to collectively as ‘Spirit’. They love dancing around in the kitchen with me and tossing magic about; a pinch of this, a cup of that and a powerful sprinkle of higher healing intentions for good measure. For me, the kitchen is one of my creative playgrounds*, and I love inviting my magical inner child to play in this sacred space with me.
“What is this cake for?”, I asked them.
To clear limitations, they replied.
“Tell me more”, I asked them, like a child nestling in front of a warm fire, waiting for a particularly good story to spill forth from a loved ones lips. Except in this case, my nestling was actually more like rummaging, as I happily explored the deepest, darkest corners of my kitchen pantry in search of inspiring ingredients. It’s incredibly liberating, after a back injury, to be able to do this without help.
As far as ingredients went, Spirit had only given me two firm instructions: Lavender and Sesame Seeds. The rest of it I could make up as I went along. Sesame seeds just reek of wonder and magic don’t they? I mean, seeds on their own do, because they are these intense, tiny little packages of potential, packed tight with super-charged nutrients for the sudden beginning of new growth, new beginnings. Like a suitcase packed full of goodies, hidden under the bed, just waiting for the right moment for a new adventure to be unleashed.
But it’s not just the seed part that makes sesame seeds glow in the eyes of my magical inner child: it’s the ‘Open Sesame’ story-connotations from the tale of Aladdin’s magic lamp. My inner child sees sesame seeds as keys to unlock surprises, gifts, treasure…. all of which is hidden within me. A way to unlock the wall of my own perceived limitations so I can reach past them and unleash the sleeping light in my shadows.
This cake will help you see through mountains, because these mountains are actually molehills in disguise. The lavender will clear your third eye so you can see clearly again. Your mind has become lost in a maze of tangled thoughts, creating complexity that blinds you to the underlying simplicity. We seek to liberate this creative simplicity from within you so that you may be free to express your deepest truths in beautiful, pure, joyful ways. Blessed Be.
Ohhhh, that sounds like fun! Sure enough, I had a startlingly lucid, simple idea last night after making this cake and I hadn’t even eaten it yet! I hesitate to say “brilliant” idea because you might laugh at me and call me arrogant, but if I let that fear hold me back, I won’t have as much fun in life, so I think I’ll let the fear go. Besides, the idea was brilliant: that doesn’t mean I am! haha!
By the way, I had three crystal spirits hovering around in the kitchen while making this cake, helping to weave the magic: Blue Agate, Pink Agate and the Picasso Stone. I’ll write about these soon
RECIPE (delectably scrumptious and magi-licious)
BASE
1 cup macedamia nuts
1/4 cup toasted buckwheat groats
1 tablespoon of unhulled tahini
8 pitted medjool dates
Put all of these ingredients in your food processor and crush/blend until the mix looks like cooked cake crumble or fresh bread crumbs. To check whether you need more dates, pinch some of the mix between your fingers to see if it squeezes together and holds together if you roll it into a ball in your hand. A taste test at this stage helps too! Is it sweet enough for you? If your base chakra is balanced, you will balance excessive sweetness and sweet-indulgence with healthy limits, self-discipline and an ability to nourish yourself from within.
“Why do they have to be medjool dates?” my husband asks.
“Because they are THE dates. The manna from heaven!”, I replied. They aren’t just sweet, they make everything stick together. It’s got to be sticky enough to firm a fairly firm base in the bottom of your dessert dish, without being too sweet. Add coconut oil or prunes for extra moisture if your food processor isn’t powerful enough to pull this off. Not water- that makes the cakes icy instead of creamy. These are freezer cakes, so keep in mind that they won’t shrink and pop neatly out of a cake tin when you turn it upside down, so be clever about the dish you choose to put your mix into.
MIDDLE
(This is so much fun! Are your fingers twitching yet!?)
1/2 – 1 *banana
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of cashews
12 pitted medjool dates
Vanilla essence or seeds (a splash or 1-2 seedpods)
*Bananas are surprisingly strong in aroma and taste, so their use needs to be careful, if you don’t want it to over-power other flavours, but they do give you more bulk without needing extra nuts. If you don’t like the taste of banana in this cake, replace the banana with another cup of nuts
Blend everything in the food processor. Keep going until it clumps together and becomes fairly smooth. I actually prefer texture in most of my meals/dishes, so I don’t make it completely smooth. More moisture does help with smoothness so if you prefer your cakes this way, add coconut oil or use cashew butter instead of cashews.
Remove 1/4 of the mix and put it aside (in the freezer) to use as the base for the ‘icing’ (the top layer). It’s important to have some icing on your cake sometimes because it makes you feel special and pampered.
Now add 1 tablespoon of cocoa or cacao powder to the remaining mix and blend again. (Use even more if you really love chocolate and your food processor is tough!) Yum! Spread this mix over the base layer and put your dish into the freezer.
TOP
1 tablespoon of melted cacao butter
1 tablespoon or more of lavender flowers
You can adjust the lavender quantity and add more, but lavender is powerful, so a little bit goes a long way. Stir these ingredients into the 1/4 mix you had set aside in the freezer. If you want some more vibrant colour in this layer, mash/stir/blend in some blueberries.
Spread this mix over the middle layer of your cake and your cake is finished! Put your cake in the freezer over-night and serve the next day. These cakes can last months in the freezer, but do keep them covered.
My daughter (the tea-tasting expert) suggests having a cup of lavender or cocoa husk tea with this cake. We love cake with tea! The flavour balancing is so much fun!
Enjoy
Love Om (and Spirit)
*I sometimes wonder if my love for sacred play and the way I weave my interests in psychology, neuroscience and neurotheology throughout this play, is a family trait. How lovely to discover one of my father’s sisters has been cut from the same divine cloth! My auntie Kay has a beautiful healing approach based on a blend of healing, psychology, philosophy, mindfulness, performance improvisation and the playful wonder of possibilities….