Sweet Testing: Pumpkin and Bee Pollen Cake

I almost didn’t make this cake. I went back and forth, and back and forth, over and over and over again. Yes! No. Yes! No. It went on like this for days! All because I couldn’t decide whether bee pollen + cake was a good combination! You see, this is the first bee pollen recipe that I have ever come across and, at first, I couldn’t wait to try it! Then, after doing a bit of research, I discovered that some people have extreme reactions to bee pollen supplements. Oh, no! What if someone has to be rushed to the hospital after eating my cake! None of party guests seemed all that concerned about bee pollen side effects, though, so, in the end, I finally decided that I would go ahead and make the cake, and I’m sooo glad that I did. This is a really tasty cake. Really. The coconut and the pumpkin go really well together and the date crust is simply wonderful! It’s also very easy to assemble and it is, visually speaking, so bright and sunny that you’ll feel better just by looking at! As far as the bee pollen is concerned, I don’t really think it’s a necessary ingredient, although the creator of this recipe, artist Kirra Jamison, considers it to be an essential element. Perhaps, I just didn’t use it correctly. It makes a good story, but it didn’t add much in my opinion. If you do use it, you may want to warn your guests beforehand, in case they are allergic to bees or have problems with asthma. You can find the complete recipe after the jump.


Recipe adapted from You Found Keke, the website of artist Kirra Jamison. I’ve changed this recipe slightly. For the original, check out Kirra’s website, right here.


Crust ingredients
14 medjool dates
½ heaped cup of walnuts
a pinch of sea salt

For crust
1. Line just the base of a 20 cm spring-form pan with a sheet of baking paper that is bigger than the base. Your paper should be hanging out the edges about 4 cm all around. Now attach the top of the pan so the cut hangs out the side. This will allow you to side the cake off the base of the pan easily.
2. Add all ingredients to a blender and ‘chop’ just enough so that everything mixes together. You want an even consistency but you don’t want to blend for too long or you will end up with paste. It’s best if there are visible chunks of walnuts. I recommend you pulse for a couple of seconds, loosen mixture with spatula and pulse again. This will all depend on your blender.
3. Transfer mixture to pan and again making use of a spatula spread across to even it out.

Cake ingredients
1 cup of Japanese pumpkin
1 cup soaked raw cashews
½ cup (drained) silken tofu
⅓ cup coconut oil
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp white miso paste
juice of 1 lemon
bee pollen for serving

For cake
1. Cut pumpkin in 3cm x 3cm cubes, steam and set aside. You may like to do this a day in advance as you want the pumpkin to be completely cool.
2. In a blender combine drained cashews, tofu, coconut oil, maple syrup, kudzu, and vanilla. Blend on highest setting until completely smooth and with zero graininess. In a high power blender this will be very quick.
3. Add the lemon juice and pulse a few times to combine.
4. Add the pumpkin and miso. Blend until you have a smooth even consistency.
6. Pour the mixture into the pan and gently bang the tin on the countertop.
7. Leave cake in freezer for a good eight hours.
8. Remove from freezer and carefully release cake from tin. Slide cake onto a serving plate and allow to defrost a little. It should be cold and set but not frozen. Sprinkle either entire cake or each individual piece with bee pollen, just before serving.

Store cake tightly covered in the fridge for up to four days.