Blueberry Cashew Protein Cakes (Vegan, Grain-Free)

When the afternoon slump hits, what do you reach for? Upgrade your typical go-to snack with these delicious blueberry cashew protein cakes. They’re vegan, grain-free, and come together in under 30 minutes. Plus, they’re perfect for beating mid-day drowsiness due to their high-quality, high-fat content from the cashews, coconut oil, and ground flax, as well as healthy carbohydrates from banana and pure maple syrup.

Read on to learn how to make these blueberry cashew protein cakes from holistic nutritionist Sarah Britton.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (275g) unroasted, unsalted cashews

  • 1 tsp. baking powder 

  • 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 

  • 1 Tbsp. ground flax

  • 2 Tbsp. protein powder

  • 1 cup (25g) blueberries (fresh or frozen)

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, plus more for greasing 

  • 1 large banana

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract 

  • 3 Tbsp. maple syrup

Tips:

  • When blending the cashews, aim for a sandy consistency. Be careful to not overblend or you’ll end up with cashew butter.

  • When baking with protein powder, look for one with a fine consistency to ensure they incorporate with the other ingredients more easily.

  • The ground flax is an important ingredient not only for its nutritional value, but also because it helps bind the ingredients together.

  • Blend the banana until it has a creamy consistency.

  • Sarah prefers to use B-grade maple syrup in baked goods for its richer flavor. 

  • There are two types of coconut oil: virgin (raw) and expeller-pressed, which removes the coconut flavor from the oil. If you prefer your recipes to not taste like coconuts, then go for an expeller-pressed coconut oil.

  • Feel free to add in your fruit or dried fruit of choice.

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with coconut oil.

  2. Place cashews in a food processor and pulse until finely ground to a grainy, sand-like consistency. Add the other dry ingredients and pulse to combine.  

  3. Transfer the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Place the coconut oil, banana, vanilla, and maple syrup in the food processor and blend on high until smooth and fully combined. Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir well to coat. Fold in the blueberries. 

  4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until lightly golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Remove from muffin tin and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Sarah Britton (BFA, CNP) is a Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Nutritional Practitioner. Following her philosophy of “making healthy choices every day” she has been creating recipes for her readers all over the world since 2007. 

Winner of the 2014 Saveur “Best Food Blog – Special Diets Blog” Awards, Sarah currently teaches cooking classes, runs workshops on detoxification and cleansing, food as medicine, and nutrition fundamentals. She creates exclusive menu plans and recipes for various media and gives lectures and speaks in public forums such as TEDx.

 
Alo Movesrecipe, healthy recipe, sarah britton