Are you up for the challenge?

I’m constantly amazed by the ripple effect of inspiration that comes from the food blog world. When one blogger tries something new and presents it to the world with positive energy and excitement, everyone feels that energy, and before too long they’re making their own daring creations and inspiring others around them, too.

Fellow blogger and friend Lisa recently spent four weeks at 105degrees Academy in Oklahoma City expanding on her raw cuisine expertise through the Fundamentals of Raw Cuisine course. She dutifully chronicled her learning adventure with inspiring blog posts and gorgeous photos, and I know more than a few of us followed along and felt as if we were right there with her.

Last weekend, Lisa and I spent an amazing Saturday together in my kitchen, practising and recreating some of the techniques and processes she learned at 105. The hours seemed to go by quickly as we soaked, chopped, measured and blended our way through some fantastic recipes. Before we knew it, my dehydrator was packed and my kitchen filled with the sweet and savoury scents of garlic buns, pizza crust and chocolate chips.

After following her handbook of instruction to a tee, we were eager to get creative. Lisa had the fabulous idea to make our own raw vegan version of the ever-popular cake pop, as seen on many blogs, and in books and coffee shops. We started off by making the chocolate cake and frosting recipes from Matthew Kenney’s Everyday Raw Desserts, and then spread a thin layer of the cake mixture on a cookie sheet and set it in the freezer. Once firm, we crumbled the cake in a food processor and combined it with some frosting. Then we carefully rolled the mixture into balls and returned them to the freezer to set. Next came the raw chocolate coating, dipping the frozen balls and then inserting the sticks. It was quite the process, but it was definitely worthwhile.

While they tasted great and looked pretty, they didn’t turn out quite as we had imagined. As is often the case when developing new recipes and food creations, things don’t always work out. The batter seemed a bit too moist and the coating didn’t turn into a hard shell as we had hoped.

Do you think you could come up with the perfect raw vegan cake pop recipe? Lisa and I want your help, so we’re proposing an official challenge to all the amazing bloggers out there. If you’re interested, and prepared to get creative, we’ll set something up for April and start working on prizes. Let us know!