While I was never a big fan of dairy cheesecake, I’ll take a raw vegan cheesecake anyday. So I decided to create my own version using my favorite ingredients: creamy cashews, caramely dates, sweet maple syrup, tart raspberries, and, of course, dark chocolate. Whether served as the finale to a holiday feast, a summer dessert, or a breakfast treat (yep, I love a slice in the morning with a frothy latte!), this decadent raw cheesecake will make you a believer.
Serves 8
What you need:
For the crust:
- 1 cup raw almonds, lightly toasted
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 15 Medjool dates
For the filling:
- 4 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
- ⅔ cup maple syrup
- ⅔ cup water
- ⅔ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the topping:
- 2 cups frozen raspberries
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped dark chocolate
What you do:
- For the crust, into a high-speed blender, add all ingredients and blend until a crumbly mixture forms. Press mixture into springform pan and set aside.
- For the filling, wipe inside of blender clean and add all filling ingredients. Blend until creamy, and pour over crust. Transfer pan to freezer and freeze until set, approximately 4 hours.
- For the topping, in a saucepan over medium heat, add raspberries, lemon zest, maple syrup, and vanilla. Cook for 10 minutes until mixture resembles jam and set aside.
- When cheesecake is set, melt chocolate in a double boiler. Spread raspberry topping on top of cheesecake and drizzle with melted chocolate.
Healthy hints:
- >> While I typically don’t soak my nuts, doing so adds an added creaminess to this recipe. Instead of soaking the cashews overnight, you can boil a large pot of water, remove from heat, add cashews, and let sit for 2 hours.
- >> This cheesecake can easily be transformed into individual cheesecake bites by making them in cupcake tins with cupcake liners!
- >> Try blackberries or blueberries in place of the raspberries—all three work great!