Cashew Cream Cheesecake

Cashew Cream Cheesecake

Cashew Cream Cheesecake!

Every time I make this Cashew Cream Cheesecake and I share with family, friends, strangers…everyone loves it! They’ve been asking for the recipe and so here it is. I would like to acknowledge that the basic recipe for the raw vegan crust and raw vegan pie comes from Ani’s Raw Foods Essentials Cookbook. A wonderful cookbook and well worth the investment. Check out Ani’s website to learn more, http://www.aniphyo.com/

What is raw vegan mean you may be asking?? I wondered what it meant too. I thought when they said they were going raw vegan, they only ate raw vegetables, not so my friend. Let’s find out some more about that….

Cashew Cream Cheesecake

The first time I went to a raw vegan restaurant was in Toronto, we ordered a bunch of dishes, raviolli, pizza and a few others. When they brought the food to the table, I didn’t recognize anything!! Nothing looked like any of the food that I had before.

What amazed me, was the taste. The flavours were so rich and the food so filling. I was hooked! Since then I have been experimenting with raw vegan recipes and have purchased a dehydrator (has very low temp settings and keep your food healthy). I am in love with raw vegan food.

Raw vegan is so good for you, has wonderful flavours and is incredibly satisfying and filling. I’ll write more about eating raw vegan in a post soon!

Cashew Cream Cheesecake

For this dessert there are three major components to the recipe: the crust, the filling and the topping for serving.  As usual, I like to double this recipe, lots for everyone and I usually freeze about half for another day. I’ll walk you thru the process and then you can make some and share with your favourite people too!

The Crust

What you’ll need for the crust for your Cashew Cream Cheesecake:

• 2 c raw nuts, you can use raw almonds, raw macadamia nuts or raw hazelnuts or a combination of them. A harder nut will work best.

  

• 2 c Medjool dates pitted
• 1 t salt

Method for crust:

1. Place your selection of raw nuts into a food processor and process till in tiny pieces
2. Add in your pitted dates and salt and process till you have a crumbly texture that sticks together when pressed into the pan.
3. Scoop the nut and date mixture into a pie plate or cake pan and press the ingredients into the bottom of the pan evenly. Place in fridge to cool while you complete the next step.

   

   

   The filling has two components:

• Creamy cashew sauce and a variety of fresh and/or frozen fruit. I usually make the creamy cashew sauce next and set aside. Then I get my fruit ready to go.

For the creamy cashew sauce you will need:

• 1 c raw cashews (soaked for a few hours, and then rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 coconut oil
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1/2 filtered water

Method for the Creamy Cashew Sauce:

Take your soaked, rinsed and drained raw cashews and put into your blender. A high speed blender is best, a regular blender will work.  Add in the coconut oil, water and your vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, will be quite thin. Set the sauce aside in the blender and get your fruit ready.

For the fruit, any fresh or frozen fruit will work. 

• 1  large banana (organic if possible), sliced into rounds
• 3/4 c Frozen organic blueberries
• 2 Kiwi peeled and sliced into rounds

Ok now you have most of the ingredients assembled and ready to go.

Assemble the pie as follows:

Take your crust out of the fridge and place some fruit on the bottom. I usually put some of my blueberries and banana slices on the bottom.

Give your cashew sauce a quick blend and pour about 1/3 over your fruit.

Add another layer of fruit, leaving spaces between the fruit, add another 1/3 of the cashew sauce. Now the final fruit and fill in the empty spaces in your pie with the remaining cashew sauce. The fruit should be pretty much covered with the sauce.

Cover the pie with Saran wrap and put in the fridge to chill. This will firm up the pie.

Fruit Compote, the last step (before eating of course)

Just before you are ready to serve. Take another 1/2 – 1 c of frozen thawed frozen blueberries or fresh berry of your choice and put into the blender. Add a dash of sweetener, (maple syrup is what I use) and blend up till a thick liquid.

Cut your guests a small slice of the pie (it is really rich and they will probably want seconds), drizzle the berry mixture over the pie and serve. You’re gonna love it!!

As I usually double this recipe, I can freeze some for later. It keeps well in the freezer and then I can cut when partially frozen into pieces, drizzle fresh berry compote on top and enjoy again.

Enjoy this beautiful Cashew Cream Cheesecake!!