Someone became a centenarian today. She did so gracefully (I hope) and with an open heart.
With today being my 100th post, a celebration was most certainly in order. Guided by some sweet-craving taste buds and eyes that tend to seek pretty things, I set my heart on Cake Batter Fudge. When I bake, I typically peruse the internet to get an idea of ratios within the recipe since everything is so precise in the baking world. However, a long perusing session moved me to the conclusion that most cake batter fudge recipes incorporate overly processed cake mixes that are full of chemicals, dyes, and all sorts of ingredients that I cannot pronounce. If I wanted to do this right, I knew I had to move outside of my baking comfort zone and recipe-brainstorm this one up from a blank canvas...
And I did. All week. Seriously, I tossed around possibilities for ingredients all week long and finally settled on the base for this fudge being raw cashew butter. From there, I built in the other ingredients and toyed with ratios until this little vegan miracle came to be.
The result is a super fudgy, creamy, and cake-battery delight to the senses. The addition of butter extract and raw cashew butter transforms the fudge from something that could be mistaken for vanilla into an undeniable force of cake-batter pow. Best part? No one will know this is vegan by taste. So much so that it should probably be called {Secretly Vegan} Cake Batter Fudge.
Stacks of gooey cake batter bundles of joy...
- 1 cup raw cashew butter (see recipe below -- must be raw or it will alter the flavor of the fudge)
- ½ cup vegan buttery spread (e.g., Earth Balance)
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon butter extract
- 3 to 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons sprinkles, divided
- Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.
- Add in cashew butter and stir (note: this will not incorporate with the butter until you begin adding in the powdered sugar).
- Turn off the heat, and add in pinch of salt and the butter extract.
- Slowly begin adding in the powdered sugar, stirring constantly to ensure all sugar lumps are smoothed out. Once the powdered sugar is added and the mixture has cooled to room temperature or slightly warm, add in 2 tablespoons of the sprinkles and give the batter a few stirs. If you add in the sprinkles when the batter is too warm, the color is more likely to bleed.
- Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 5 x 8 or 8 x 8 baking pan (depending on desired thickness).
- Top with remaining 2 tablespoons of sprinkles.
- Pop in the fridge for at least one hour or until fudge sets.
- Cut into 40 or more pieces.
- Store uneaten fudge in fridge or freezer.
- 2 cups raw cashews
- â…“ cup water
- pinch of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon agave nectar
- Add the cashews to a food processor and process until a coarse meal is formed. Slowly add in water (using less or more, as needed) as processor is running and process until a creamy butter has formed. Add in salt and agave nectar and pulse.
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Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide says
Here's to 100 more. I'll keep my comments short so you can start!:)
Celeste Jackson says
Congratulations my little girl! I can't believe that those are the only ingredients that make up this pretty and delicious looking treat. I must make for your brother's birthday coming up soon. :)
Megan says
Ohhhh! I can't wait to try these!
Taneika says
Can organic coconut oil be used in place of the earthbalance?
Ashley says
I haven't tried using it in this recipe, but I would imagine it would hold up nicely! It will alter the flavor a bit, but that could be a welcomed addition if you're a coconut lover. If you try it, let me know how it works out!
Taneika says
I did use it, and it was amazing :) It was a little oilier than yours looks. But I took it to a party with several vegan friends in attendance and it was devoured in minutes! Thanks so much :)
(I pinned on my block with a clickback to your site :)
http://stewartship.wordpress.com/2013/06/29/vegan-cashew-fudge/
Benjamin says
Looks wonderful! I just have a question: What exactly is "butter extract?" And where can you order it online?
I can't wait to try these vegan yummies. :D
Ashley says
Hi, Benjamin! It's kind of like vanilla extract except butter flavored. I usually order mine from Amazon (Watkins brand is great) but you can also find it in places like Sur La Table or stores that carry baking supplies. I hope this helps!
Melinda Amato says
Is there anything that could be substituted for the buttery spread? I have a worker who is allergic to palm oil and coconut. Thank you!
Ashley says
Hi Melinda! I'm not sure of any other substitutions for the buttery spread besides coconut oil. My suggestion would be to try omitting it altogether and reducing the amount of powdered sugar or maybe increasing the amount of cashew butter. I hope one of those works out for you, and I'd love to know your results if you try it!
Melinda Amato says
i ended up just following the recipe - it is incredible!! How long would it be good for if kept in the fridge? Thank you!!
Ashley says
So glad you're enjoying it, Melinda!! I would say easily 1-2 weeks but it depends on the freshness of the cashews and other ingredients. You can also freeze it to lengthen its freshness!
Melinda Amato says
Thank you!!
Amanda says
Hi- do cashews need to be soaked prior to adding to processor ?
Ashley says
Hi, Amanda! Not in this case. Since you're making raw cashew butter, unsoaked is the way you want to go.