BLUEBERRY CASHEW CHEESECAKE w/ blueberry coulis
It's perfection. A dairy-free cheesecake that any cheesecake fan will love. Make it for your family and friends and refrain from calling it a ‘vegan, raw’ cake and conjuring up potential prejudice in the hard core dairy addicts. Simply call it a blueberry cheese cake and let the cake speak for itself. Most marvel when told it’s dairy-free after eating it and claim they wouldn’t have known. The added bonus is this is so much easier on the gut. Make it ahead if needed for it stores well in the freezer for a few weeks.
CRUST INGREDIENTS:
1½ cups raw or toasted hazelnuts
1/3-1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted
2 tbsp coconut oil, room temp
1 pinch sea salt
FILLING INGREDIENTS
3 cups raw cashews, soaked 4 hours or overnight, rinsed and drained
½ -¾ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup raw agave or maple syrup
1/3 -½ cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid in a hot water bath
1 tsp vanilla
½ teaspoon sea salt
Blueberry layer:
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen defrosted
2 tbsp blueberry powder, optional, (I used Giddy Yoyo)
BERRY COULIS TOPPING:
Blueberry compote
DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend the crust ingredients together in a food processor until it starts to stick together starting with 1/3 cup of the dates. Add extra dates only if needed. Press the crust evenly into the bottom of a 9 inch, parchment lined, spring form pan to about ¼ inch thickness. Set aside while you make the filling.
2. In a high speed blender, blend together cashews, agave or maple syrup and the lemon juice until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally if necessary. Add the coconut oil, vanilla and sea salt and continue to blend until mixture is well combined. The consistency will be similar to a thick pudding.
3. Use a spatula and pour 2/3rds of the filling on top of the crust smoothing evenly. Cover the pan with a lid or plastic and place in the freezer on a flat surface.
4. With the remaining cashew blend, add the blueberries and blueberry powder if using and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside until the first layer of the cheesecake is firm enough to let the blueberry layer stay on top. At that time carefully pour or spoon over and smooth evenly. Cover the cheesecake and place it back in the freezer on a flat surface for an additional 2 hours or until frozen throughout.
5. When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan and let stand at room temp for 10-15 min and slice into 12 pieces. Plate it with blueberry coulis and garnish as desired. Return any leftovers to the freezer or fridge until you are ready to enjoy again. This delish cake will keep up 2-4 weeks if well wrapped.
BLUEBERRY COULIS
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
½ tsp cinnamon
TERI’S TIPS:
- Dessert, vegan, raw, gluten/soy/grain free
It's perfection. A dairy-free cheesecake that any cheesecake fan will love. Make it for your family and friends and refrain from calling it a ‘vegan, raw’ cake and conjuring up potential prejudice in the hard core dairy addicts. Simply call it a blueberry cheese cake and let the cake speak for itself. Most marvel when told it’s dairy-free after eating it and claim they wouldn’t have known. The added bonus is this is so much easier on the gut. Make it ahead if needed for it stores well in the freezer for a few weeks.
- Serves 10 - 12
- Prep time: 15 minutes plus 4 hours soaking time
- Freeze time: 4 hours
CRUST INGREDIENTS:
1½ cups raw or toasted hazelnuts
1/3-1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted
2 tbsp coconut oil, room temp
1 pinch sea salt
FILLING INGREDIENTS
3 cups raw cashews, soaked 4 hours or overnight, rinsed and drained
½ -¾ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup raw agave or maple syrup
1/3 -½ cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid in a hot water bath
1 tsp vanilla
½ teaspoon sea salt
Blueberry layer:
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen defrosted
2 tbsp blueberry powder, optional, (I used Giddy Yoyo)
BERRY COULIS TOPPING:
Blueberry compote
DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend the crust ingredients together in a food processor until it starts to stick together starting with 1/3 cup of the dates. Add extra dates only if needed. Press the crust evenly into the bottom of a 9 inch, parchment lined, spring form pan to about ¼ inch thickness. Set aside while you make the filling.
2. In a high speed blender, blend together cashews, agave or maple syrup and the lemon juice until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally if necessary. Add the coconut oil, vanilla and sea salt and continue to blend until mixture is well combined. The consistency will be similar to a thick pudding.
3. Use a spatula and pour 2/3rds of the filling on top of the crust smoothing evenly. Cover the pan with a lid or plastic and place in the freezer on a flat surface.
4. With the remaining cashew blend, add the blueberries and blueberry powder if using and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside until the first layer of the cheesecake is firm enough to let the blueberry layer stay on top. At that time carefully pour or spoon over and smooth evenly. Cover the cheesecake and place it back in the freezer on a flat surface for an additional 2 hours or until frozen throughout.
5. When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan and let stand at room temp for 10-15 min and slice into 12 pieces. Plate it with blueberry coulis and garnish as desired. Return any leftovers to the freezer or fridge until you are ready to enjoy again. This delish cake will keep up 2-4 weeks if well wrapped.
BLUEBERRY COULIS
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
½ tsp cinnamon
- Cook the berries and cinnamon over medium heat in a small sauce pan until boiling, reduce heat to simmer and continue to cook until the berries are thickened to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat; add a touch of agave, maple or coconut syrup or honey along with an oz of amaretto or orange liqueur if desired.
- Let cool and then puree ½ of the mixture, combine both and chill until needed.
TERI’S TIPS:
- Sub almonds or pecans for hazelnuts if desired
- The cake is best made in a high speed power blender like the affordable Harley Pasternak by Salton. If making this in a food processor, be patient and blend for a few minutes at a time until the cream is smooth and silky. The results won’t be as creamy yet it’s still so good.
- Pending on the season, feel free to sub in blackberries, raspberries, etc. All make for an outstanding cake and garnishing with fresh edible flowers elevates the status even higher for we do feast with our eyes first.