It was our friends 40th birthday a couple weeks ago and she is on a very strict elimination diet. I was excited to make her a 'cake' she could actually eat! The pictures aren't very good.. but that doesn't matter, because the cheesecake sure was. I learned something making this cake, which is cool, because I have made probably at least a 100 raw desserts and never run into this problem. If you use frozen fruit, thaw it completely first! I used frozen blueberries and mixing it with the coconut oil, it never fully incorporated into the smooth, velvety texture that we all know and love in traditional cheesecakes. It was still good, but if you look closely, you can see how grainy it is. It should NOT be that way! Also, there were several pieces of solidified coconut oil in the cake. I was kind of embarrassed serving it, but I've been told not to apologize for my food and I"m not going to, even though I should have known better AND I know how MUCH BETTER it could have been..
That being said, it was still delicious and oh, so rich. You could easily get 24 slices out of a 9 inch cake.
Note: There is honey in this recipe. If you choose not to eat honey, I have provided the alternative of agave for vegans.
Raw Blueberry Cheesecake
• Crust 1 ½ cups almonds
• 1 cup coconut
• 12 large dates pitted (about a cup loosely packed)
• Healthy pinch salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• Pinch stevia powder
• 3 tablespoons warm water
In a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients except the water until it resembles very course flour. Add water by the tablespoon until the dough comes together; press into spring form pan and put in freezer while you make the filling.
Filling
• 2 ¾ cups cashews that have been soaked in warm water for 10 minutes (soak them while you are preparing the crust)
• 1 cup coconut oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of two medium lemons
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom and nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup honey or agave for vegans
• 14 oz blueberries (around 2 cups) you can use either frozen or fresh. If you use frozen, thaw them first!
Place everything in a food processor and process until it is very, very smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. This can take up to 5 minutes of processing.
Fill the spring form pan with the filling and place in the freezer for at least two hours before serving.
Topping:
• 2 cups frozen mixed berries
• 3 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp psyllium husk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup honey
Blend everything together until smooth.
Here are some links to more Raw or Almost Raw Desserts!
Almost Raw Key Lime Pie (vegnan, gluten, soy and grain free)
RECIPE vegan, gluten, soy and grain free
Orange Scented Chocolate Pecan Pie (vegan, gluten and grain free)