Recipe of the Month: Raw Vegan Cheesecake
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As summer well and truly sets in, our yogi chef, has gone and crafted this divine, raw cheesecake. The perfect treat for a sunny afternoon picnic, or – let’s face it – anytime really. Truly, how can you resist?
Adapted from theminimalistbaker.com
I used to work as a pastry chef in an American influenced bakery renown for their baked cheesecakes. The cheesecakes were incredibly rich, creamy and decedent and this was before they had even hit the oven shelf. Once baked and cooled, we would then generously layer the top with any flavour combination of chocolate fugue sauce, peanut butter spread, caramelised peanuts, Nutella, Italian meringue, lemon curd, berries, pumpkin puree (this was added before baking) and white chocolate to name but a few. One slice used up your total weekly food allowance and the only food group missing was meat!
I am not vegan but this raw recipe provides the same creamy texture that I love about cheesecakes, it’s guilt free, gluten free and it really does taste great. I never tell people its vegan until they’ve all but licked their plates clean and are requesting a second slice.
Ingredients
Base
250g Pitted Dates (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes then drained)
250g Raw Walnuts or Almonds
Filling
375g Raw Cashews, soaked in water 4-6 hours or overnight and then drained
1 large Lemon, juiced (about 60ml)
80g Coconut Oil, melted
155g Full Fat Coconut Milk (skim and include the cream from the top for extra richness)
125g Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup (or honey if not vegan)
Method
- Line the base of a 7-inch cake tin with baking parchment.
- Blitz the nuts in a food processor until grainy then remove and set aside.
- Add the drained dates to the food processor and blitz into a chunky paste.
- Pour the ground nuts back in with the dates and blend both together until a loose dough forms.
- Pour the dough into the lined cake tin and spread out using a pallet knife or the back of a spoon to press it down. Set in the freezer to firm up.
- Add all filling ingredients to a blender and mix until very smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning adding more lemon juice or syrup as needed.
- Pour the filling onto the frozen nut base and tap the cake tin on your work surface to release any air bubbles.
- Garnish with your favorite choice of toppings: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, chocolate sauced etc
- Wrap in cling film and freeze for 4-6 hours
- Allow to soften at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.