Last night was Logan’s Blue & Gold Celebration with his Cub Scout Pack. What is Blue and Gold you ask? I wondered the same thing…
Why, thank you Bill Smith! It’s also is the time of year when most Scouts have completed which ever “Trail” they were on. This year, Logan completed his Bear Trail, and was awarded his Bear Badge!! (WAY TO GO LOGAN!!!)
Anyway, part of the annual tradition of our pack (and maybe all packs, I don’t know) is to hold a “Dad and Lad Cake Baking Contest”. At first I was a little worried about this. If you know me, or if you’ve read my blog before than you know that we are on a very special diet. And since we don’t eat wheat, dairy, eggs, or yeast (among other things), a cake becomes a difficult proposition. However, I did not want my Cub Scout to feel left out, so here’s what we came up with… and WON THIRD PLACE!!! Third place is still award winning, right? 
Logan’s favorite dessert is date rolls. They’re just dates and shredded coconut all rolled up and yummy. No processed sugar, no food dyes, no chemicals… just dates and coconut and he LOVES them. So I thought, why not do the same thing only BIGGER!! 
The great thing about this kind of “cake” is that you can sculpt it into any shape. It’s just like play-doh only stickier! So, we asked Logan what kind of “cake” he wanted, and he decided on a Dragon!!
Here's our Masterpiece!!
From Behind...
Pistachio Eyes and Peanut Teeth...
Here’s the recipe:
Approx. 2 1.5 lb packages of Dates (pitted or not,if they aren’t pitted, they’re a little cheaper, but you have to pit them yourself)
Approx. 1 1/2 10 ounce packages of Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
Stuff to add details with; we used peanuts for the teeth and claws, pistachios for the eyes, almonds for the “scales” down his back, and strawberries for his wings and tongue.
We also made a strawberry sauce (just strawberries, NO SUGAR) to drizzle over each piece as it was served.
That’s it!!
DIRECTIONS:
- Add Dates to food processor, a little at a time if you have to. They are VERY sticky and can be hard on the motor. After the dates are all chopped up, they kind of resemble a paste.
- Next, add dates and shredded coconut, a little at a time, into your stand mixer (or mix by hand). Remember to stop and scrape the sides and the beater.
- Once the dates and coconut are thoroughly mixed together, get out the plate you will be serving from. This will be really hard to move after it’s finished, so you’ll want to construct the cake wherever you want it to end up.
- WASH YOUR HANDS, roll up your sleeves. You may also want to consider an apron…
- Take out a bit of the mixture at a time, get in touch with your inner child or artist, and use your hands to sculpt it into whatever shape you want! You may need wooden toothpicks or skewers to help hold things up or on. Our dragon has a wooden skewer in his neck to hold up his big scary head!
- Add on some details! You could use raisins, fruit, nuts, or any other natural healthy edible thing to make details with. TIP: some more delicate pieces may need to be finished BEFORE they are added to the rest of the sculpture. For example; I had to construct the dragons head in two pieces, and separately from everything else. I formed the bottom jaw first, added the peanut teeth, then added it onto the neck. Then I formed the top part of his head and jaw, turned it upside down, pressed in the peanut sliver teeth, then turned it right-side up and added the pistachio eyes, then stuck it onto the lower jaw. THEN I went around with some more of the date/coconut mixture and filled in the cracks. Phrew!!
- That’s it!!! You’re finished!!! No baking required!! We did make a strawberry sauce to accompany our cake, but that is optional. ENJOY!!
One Proud Scout!!! One Cool Cake!!!
Exceptional! Says my husband!
We love it!!