Raspberry Almond Torte (and a long story)

Take in this glorious Raspberry Almond Torte for a moment…

Isn’t it lovely? A little slice of the summer sweetness in a vegan recipe!

I’m sharing this Raspberry Almond Torte today because, well, first, I really wanted to. 😬

Second, it’s a bit of a teaser of what’s to come.

And what’s to come is a big ol’ reprisal of recipes from Let Them Eat Vegan! 📣 🎉

But first, there’s a story behind this announcement…

The Long Story: Let Them Eat Vegan

Now, I know many of you don’t have this vegan cookbook. It’s perhaps my poorest-selling cookbook (and please don’t go purchase a copy – keep reading).

And yet, whenever I post about a recipe from LTEV (that’s ‘let them eat vegan’), I have someone chime in with “that’s my favorite cookbook of yours“.

Every.

Time.

So why hasn’t it sold more copies?

Well, vegan cookbook/book sales are about a lot more than the quality of the recipes.

In present day, they are about social media presence. Big accounts drive big sales.

It’s also about marketing buzz. What a publisher can create for the book, as well as agents and publicists.

And sometimes, it’s about filling a niche and the “look” of the book. As when I published Plant-Powered Families (my best-selling cookbook to date – mind you, it’s small relative to other vegan/cookbook titles).

And with LTEV? Well, I had little social media presence (social was just gaining ground then). But more importantly… my publisher did not do this book justice. It received little attention from media, and they printed it with mistakes. After years of work, It was a disappointing release, to say the least.

But, I accepted that part of this was on me. See, I agreed to work with this publisher and agreed to the terms of the design (a mere photo insert rather than a full-color book with full food photography).

I didn’t own that I deserved better – that my work was worthy – at the time.

Acceptance.

But what I’m not accepting?…

A couple of years ago it was brought to my attention from a reader that her copy of Let Them Eat Vegan was printed in full black and white. Yes, everything. The text, and the food photography – in black and white. 😢

My publisher skirted the issue when I contacted them, and I realized that the dollar was the only issue for them, and this lowered their printing costs on a book they had no real investment in.

But I was invested in it. And I still am. Because I still love so many of the recipes in that book, as you do.

So, I decided to take charge of the situation.

This fall, I will be releasing two ebooks, one savory, one sweet. All recipes are revisions of favorites in Let Them Eat Vegan, AND…

The recipes are ALL photographed!

ALL recipes are now also oil-free!

The recipes are made even easier!

… and finally, all recipes do not use coconut milk or coconut butter (I’m not against consuming some coconut in our diets, quite honestly, I’m tired of getting hammered about having coconut in my recipes when I’ve designed them that way to be nut-free and also a little more luxurious)

Raspberry Almond Torte: the recipe

And today, I want to share one of the recipes from the sweets collection, this vegan, gluten-free, oil-free (& coconut-free) Raspberry Almond Torte.

You’ll find this new and improved version of the recipe much easier to make, you can bring it together in about 10-15 minutes, then into the oven. And, your choice to make a topping from scratch using fresh or frozen raspberries, or take the shortcut! We all love a cooking shortcut, right?

I think you’ll love this new version of a favorite vegan recipe.

Let me know in the comments – and, if you have LTEV and love it, please let me know your favorite recipe. Chime in below, I’d love to hear. 🥰 x Dreena

p.s. be in the know, sign up for for when this new collection lands!

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5 from 6 votes

Raspberry Almond Torte

This torte has a densely sweet and satisfying almond meal base, and is covered with a thickened berry topping. Bonus: this revised version has been made much easier than the original!

Course Dessert

Keyword baking, berries, gluten-free, oil-free, pie, sweets

Servings 6 -8 people

Ingredients

Raspberry topping (see note for shortcut, I usually use the shortcut!)

• ½ tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1 ½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries or fresh
• 3 tbsp unrefined sugar
• Couple pinches sea salt
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries or whole fresh raspberries optional, see note

Torte Base:

• 1 ½ cups almond meal
• 2/3 cup oat flour
• 2 tbsp ground chia seed (not whole seed)
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
• ¼ tsp sea salt (rounded)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 – 1 1/2 tbsp non-dairy milk if using less maple syrup, see note
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp pure almond extract

Instructions

• If preparing the topping (see note for shortcut): In a small bowl, stir together the arrowroot and lemon juice. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine raspberries, arrowroot mixture, sugar and salt. Cook until mixture starts to slowly bubble and thicken, stirring frequently. Once thickened, turn off heat.
• Base: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a small cake pan (or small pie plate) with a couple of strips of parchment paper. In a bowl, combine almond meal, oat flour, chia, lemon zest, and salt and stir through. Add maple syrup, milk, and extracts and work through the dry ingredients until you have a soft dough-like consistency. Transfer mixture to the pan and lightly press in and even out. Top with the jam or prepared raspberry mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice into wedges, and serve.

Notes

Shortcut note: Skip the raspberry prep and sub a jam of choice for the topping! I often make this with an organic raspberry jam. Usually 3/4 cup will do, you can use up to a cup if a reduced-sugar jam (so not too sweet).

Berries Note: When berries are in season, it’s nice to add a layer of sliced strawberries or whole fresh raspberries on top of the torte. You can add the strawberries under the jam or on top.

Milk/Maple Syrup Note: If you prefer to use a little less maple syrup, you can use 1/3 cup, and then use 1 – 1 1/2 tbsp of milk to make up the liquid difference to bring the base together.

Serving Idea: Serve with a dollop of vanilla non-dairy yogurt or non-dairy ice cream.