Okay this cheesecake was beyond delicious. It was creamy and the perfect sweetness. I adapted the recipe from here. I added a little cinnamon to the crust and almost doubled the recipe to make it in a larger pan. This cashew base became a great consistency once it froze then defrosted a bit. You can enjoy a slice of decadent cheesecake full of healthful cashews, almonds, dates, and raspberries! Desserts are awesome to take to parties or for others if introducing them to vegan and/or raw foods. Everybody loves raw desserts…who can’t!?!?
Raw Raspberry Dream Cheesecake (Dairy free, gluten free, guilt-free)
Ingredients:
Crust
- 1/2 cup raw almonds (or sub pecans or walnuts-but almonds are my preference)
- 1/2 cup soft Medjool dates
- 1 tsp cinnamon
-  1/4 tsp. sea salt (Himalayan)
Filling
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours, overnight is best
- juice of 1-2 lemons (I used 1 large lemon)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla bean
- 3 Tbs coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup raw agave or honey
- 1-1.5 cup frozen raspberries thawed. (or just fresh)
- Add small amounts of water at a time if too thick
* I almost doubled everything to use a larger spring-form pan. You can’t really go wrong-the thickness will just vary.
*The filling should be a thick batter consistency, not as thick as a pudding though.
Directions:
1. Place nuts and dates in a food processor with sea salt  and cinnamon and pulse to chop until they are to your desired fineness. Mine became a very thick and sticky consistency. It does not necessarily need to be wet, just make sure the crust will hold together. Scoop out crust mixture in a 7” spring-form pan (if you don’t have a spring-form pan, use a pie plate lined with saran wrap), and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout.
2. Heat coconut oil and agave or honey in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid. Whisk to combine.
3. In the vitamix place all filling ingredients (except raspberries) and blend on high until very smooth.
4. Pour about 2/3 (just eyeball it) over crust. I did less than I should have, so even though it may seem like too much pour more rather than less and smooth with a spatula. Add the raspberries to the remaining filling in the vitamix and blend on high until smooth. Pour onto the first layer of filling. Place in freezer until solid. You want to make sure there is a thicker white layer, but still a good bold pink color for the top layer!
5. To serve, remove from freezer 15-30 minutes prior to eating. It is best to use a very sharp and smooth knife to cut slices. Keep in the freezer, if you have any leftovers (:
This went pretty fast in my house. I think it was difficult for my parents to save me a piece since I left for Atlanta for 4 days right after I made it. But I mean Passion Conference as soooooooo worth leaving to have most of my cheesecake eaten. I will just have to make some more before I go back to school-maybe lemon, pumpkin, or blueberry?
RealFoodJoy 