Forest Moss Cake (a Naturally Green Spinach Cake Recipe)

Forest moss cake is an absolutely delicious spinach cake recipe.  There's no actual moss in the cake, but some of the cake is crumbled to look like moss and make an easy, impressive, rustic woodland decoration for the cake.  Moss cake doesn't really taste like spinach--just like a delicious cake--but it has a gorgeous, natural green color from the spinach in the recipe.

It's the first Monday of the month, and that means it's time for the Taste Creations Blog Hop.  Our theme this month is Green Food in honor of St Patrick's day!  What could be better for any spring holiday than this gorgeous, delicious, vibrant green spinach cake?

There's absolutely no food coloring used in this moss cake recipe--it's all natural color from the spinach leaves.

Spinach Moss Cake Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups spinach puree

 

How to Bake a Moss Cake:

It's easiest to use frozen spinach for this recipe.  Defrost a 1 pound bag of frozen spinach.  Keep the liquid!  Blend the spinach well until it's a smooth puree.

If you don't have quite enough spinach puree to equal 2 cups of the mixture, just add water to make the level hit the two cup mark.

Beat sugar, eggs and oil together.  Add the spinach puree and mix together.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix in to the liquid mixture to create a vibrant green cake batter.

Pour the cake batter into two 8" round cake pans that have been lined with a circle of parchment paper or waxed paper on the bottom of the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.  Test the cake with a wooden skewer to be sure it's done.  

Let the cakes cool, then remove from the pan, remove the waxed paper lining from the bottom of the cake layers, and trim the domed part of the top of the cake off.  This will make the layers of the assembled cake nice and even, and the trimmed tops will get transformed into the mossy decoration for the exterior of the cake.

How to Make the Edible Moss Covering for your Cake:

Take the trimmed, domed tops of the two cake layers, and simply crumble them gently with your hands.  

It takes very little effort to transform those cake scraps into a very realistic looking pile of moss!

How to Assemble and Decorate a Moss Cake:

Place the bottom layer of cake on an 8" cardboard cake round.  Add whipped mascarpone cake filling (Here's the AMAZING recipe) and fresh berries to the top of the bottom layer of cake, then place the top layer of cake in place.

Frost the cake in more of the whipped mascarpone filling (or other frosting if you prefer), and simply press the green cake crumbs into the freshly applied frosting.

It really does look like moss, doesn't it?

Top the cake with fresh forest berries.  I also decided to add some meringue mushrooms to add a bit of woodland whimsy and crunch to the cake. 

A reader suggested this valuable edit:  add the meringue mushrooms just before you're ready to serve the cake!  They absorb moisture in the fridge and soften.

I also ended up with a bunch of extra cake crumbs and filling, so I made a few mini trifles, too!

If making a layer cake is intimidating, a trifle is a fabulous way to make this a very impressive, easy dessert.

Where to Buy Moss Cake:

I first tried forest moss cake from SORRY - PEČEME JINAK (Sorry - We Bake Differently cafe) in Brno, Czech Republic.  It's a stunning cafe with inventive, absolutely delectable desserts.

Moss cake is found mostly in eastern European countries like the Czech Republic and Poland, so if you're looking for a slice of this gorgeous green cake wherever you live, try an Eastern European bakery first.

The moss cake has become the signature cake of Sorry, in part because its amazing flavor, but also because it decorates the cake with real fried crickets!

My friend Heidi from Kitchen Talk and Travels was the one brave enough to order the moss cake!

But we all swapped bites of our amazing desserts (I avoided the cricket, personally) and I fell in love with the delicious, moist spinach cake.

If you drop by SORRY - PEČEME JINAK, they'll give you a few pieces of origami paper and instructions for making a paper crane, so you can add to the striking decor of the cafe while you enjoy your amazing cakes.

Printable Spinach Moss Cake Recipe

Want a one page, printable, PDF version of this forest moss cake recipe?  Click on the image below to print directly or save the PDF to your device.

Other Delicious Green Recipes from the Taste Creations Blog Hop

Our Good Life: Oven Roasted Pancetta Brussels Sprouts

Mom Home Guide: Shamrock Matcha Cake for St Patrick's Day

Breads and Sweets: Guiness Chocolate Cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day

 

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