Santa brought me some fun new kitchen toys over the Holidays. (Guess I've been a good girl after all!) Ever since Heathy's visit, I'd been seriously lusting after springform pans. Sure, my old trick of a plastic tub lined with film works, but when you've seen the right tool in action...
I had to at least point the ol' man in the right direction, so I decided to ask him for a 7 " pan and a set of 4 cute little ones (4 1/2 " by 1 1/2 ") that I'd found in Raw Freedom Community's Amazon Store.
For the first dessert of the year, I just had to make something special. I chose to inaugurate my new 7" springform pan in style with a decadent and gorgeous cake inspired by Vanessa Sherwood's fantastic White Chocolate-Strawberry Cheesecake.
A taste of raw heaven...
Bliss-full Blueberry Cheesecake
Makes one 7 " cheesecake
Crust:
1/2 cup brazil nuts
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon cacao or carob powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 medjhool dates
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Process first 7 ingredients in a food processor until fine. Add agave and process some more until the mixture just starts to stick together. Press into the bottom of the springform pan.
Filling:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)
1 cup dry cashews, finely ground
5 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tbsp melted cacao butter
1/4 cup honey or agave nectar (I used both)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until completely smooth. Pour the filling over the crust and chill or freeze until ready to serve.
Carmella's Note: If using frozen blueberries, make sure they are well thawed and at room temperature to avoid the honey turning rock hard during blending.
Blueberry Sauce:
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Agave nectar to taste
If desired, decorate with chocolate sauce (just mix 1 part melted coconut oil with 1 part agave or maple syrup and 1 part cacao powder) and blueberries.
Sunny Raw Tips
~ To de-mold your cake, gently pass a knife along the edge of the springform pan before releasing the buckle.
~ Wash the pan immediately after use and don't let it sit in water to avoid the hinges rusting.
I had to at least point the ol' man in the right direction, so I decided to ask him for a 7 " pan and a set of 4 cute little ones (4 1/2 " by 1 1/2 ") that I'd found in Raw Freedom Community's Amazon Store.
For the first dessert of the year, I just had to make something special. I chose to inaugurate my new 7" springform pan in style with a decadent and gorgeous cake inspired by Vanessa Sherwood's fantastic White Chocolate-Strawberry Cheesecake.
A taste of raw heaven...
Bliss-full Blueberry Cheesecake
Makes one 7 " cheesecake
Crust:
1/2 cup brazil nuts
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon cacao or carob powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 medjhool dates
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Process first 7 ingredients in a food processor until fine. Add agave and process some more until the mixture just starts to stick together. Press into the bottom of the springform pan.
Filling:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)
1 cup dry cashews, finely ground
5 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tbsp melted cacao butter
1/4 cup honey or agave nectar (I used both)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until completely smooth. Pour the filling over the crust and chill or freeze until ready to serve.
Carmella's Note: If using frozen blueberries, make sure they are well thawed and at room temperature to avoid the honey turning rock hard during blending.
Blueberry Sauce:
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Agave nectar to taste
If desired, decorate with chocolate sauce (just mix 1 part melted coconut oil with 1 part agave or maple syrup and 1 part cacao powder) and blueberries.
Sunny Raw Tips
~ To de-mold your cake, gently pass a knife along the edge of the springform pan before releasing the buckle.
~ Wash the pan immediately after use and don't let it sit in water to avoid the hinges rusting.
Looks supreme! Yummy, makes me very hungry! I really enjoy your blog, keep it up. Thanks for all the work you do on it.
ReplyDeletewww.rawroyalty.blogspot.com
oooh, this "cheesecake" sounds divine - I'm getting into raw "baking" and "cooking," so seeing such a scrumptious-looking treat like that one is fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteand happy belated anniversary for your blog!! how exciting!!
Thanks girls!
ReplyDeleteIt is soooooo simple to make too. You'll have to give this one a try for sure.
In fact, we're just about to munch on the left-overs. Yippee!
Gawd I love raw food! ;-)
Thanks for making me drool all over my keyboard!! LOL =]
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I am severely allergic to nuts, and was wondering if I could substitue them with some seeds? Or would this not work?
do the nuts in the crust have to be soaked or no? this looks great! can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteHRB,
ReplyDeleteHum, I've never tried using seeds for crusts so can't really say. Perhaps sunflower seeds would work?
W8W,
The nuts are used dry. What I like to do when I have extra room in the D is soak nuts overnight and dehydrate them. That way they're all ready to be used in a recipe and I get to enjoy the benefits from the soaking (alkaline and more easily digestible).
Enjoy!
Lovie, this cheesecake looks divine - I esp love the colour!I want some!
ReplyDeleteTopped w gooey choccie sauce too!
Oh, and did I mention that I want a piece?! :D
Positively YUMMY! I love Vanessa Sherwood, she's such a doll :)
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Yummy!!! I can't wait to try this. I LOVE cheesecake and this looks absoluely wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI just made this with blackberry instead of blueberry. So delicious! And pretty easy. I was at the store and they didn't have a 7" springform but the 9" worked fine, just thinner.
ReplyDeleteI made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was absolutely delicious! My un-raw friends and family even enjoyed it - thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWould you be apple to substitute all coconut oil for the butters?
ReplyDeleteThanks girls! I'm so glad this cake turned out well for you too. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGoWishDare,
You mean use only cacao butter? Sure, you could. I'd recommend using less of it, though, as cacao butter is firmer at room temp than coconut oil.
Coconut butter would also work well.
Enjoy!
Wow, thanks Carmella!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure of a recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. You’re pictures are outrageous. It’s one thing to read a recipe, but no words can stand against those pictures you present. Well done.
Now, for the critic. The filling is perfect. I used frozen berries and didn’t put enough into tasting it before pouring it into the pan and letting it set. The result, well, a cake that was a little sour the first time. The second time around, the sour berries found balance with a little more sweetener. The crust was a different issue. I followed what you offered, but the Brazil nuts seem a little harsh for the delicate berries and the crust didn’t have a ‘gram cracker’ feel to it. Thus, I made a little modification that I figured I’d share with you, seeing that you shared with me.
Crust:
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup almonds (soaked and sprouted)
¼ cup flax seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 medjhool dates
1 teaspoon agave nectar
I also used a vita-mix rather than a food processor. Process Flax seed and cacao nibs until fine, doesn’t take very long. Add Almonds, shredded coconut, salt, dates and give it a whirl. You want to break down the dates and mix things up, but not let it get to sticky. Last, add the macadamia nuts, agave and vanilla. With the last spin, you just want to break up the nuts into little white chunks.
I look forward to our paths crossing.
Gold is your friend.
Wow, thanks Carmella!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure of a recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. You’re pictures are outrageous. It’s one thing to read a recipe, but no words can stand against those pictures you present. Well done.
Now, for the critic. The filling is perfect. I used frozen berries and didn’t put enough into tasting it before pouring it into the pan and letting it set. The result, well, a cake that was a little sour the first time. The second time around, the sour berries found balance with a little more sweetener. The crust was a different issue. I followed what you offered, but the Brazil nuts seem a little harsh for the delicate berries and the crust didn’t have a ‘gram cracker’ feel to it. Thus, I made a little modification that I figured I’d share with you, seeing that you shared with me.
Crust:
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup almonds (soaked and sprouted)
¼ cup flax seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 medjhool dates
1 teaspoon agave nectar
I also used a vita-mix rather than a food processor. Process Flax seed and cacao nibs until fine, doesn’t take very long. Add Almonds, shredded coconut, salt, dates and give it a whirl. You want to break down the dates and mix things up, but not let it get to sticky. Last, add the macadamia nuts, agave and vanilla. With the last spin, you just want to break up the nuts into little white chunks.
I look forward to our paths crossing.
Gold is your friend.
Tried this recipe last night - delicious! This was my first attempt at a raw dessert and my whole family loved it. I did, however, use maple syrup in place of agave nectar... I suppose that's not legal - I'll have to do better next time. Also, I used only coconut oil, and hazelnuts in place of almonds and walnuts in the place of brazils. I didn't have the right type of pan either, so I used a glass pie pan. Although I didn't follow the recipe exactly, as I didn't have all the right stuff here at home, it turned out fabulous and it was so easy. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBecky,
ReplyDeleteI feel honored that you were initiated to the amazing world of raw desserts with one of my recipes! Woo hoo!
One of the wonderful things about raw foods is that you can easily modify recipes to suit your taste buds and what you have on hand.
And no worries, there really is no 'right and wrong' involved with food prep; you just do your best in any situation. ;-) I, too, occasionally use non raw items in my recipes as there is no way around it in terms of flavoring. For instance, I like to use maple syrup in combination with chocolate, or nutritional yeast to give a cheesey flavor.In my opinion, it isn't necessary at all to eat 100% raw in order to experience health benefits. ;-)
Have fun experimenting!
I CA NOT WAIT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE!! i finished making the coconut milk and not its slowly turning into butter! so tomorrow when i get home from school im going to make everything else! i just cant wait to try this cake!
ReplyDeleteQuick question! Should it be 1 cup of *whole* cashews that are then ground up before putting in the filling? Or is it 1 cup of already-ground cashews?
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance!
Sorry about the late replied but somehow Blogger had failed to notify me when you posted your comment. Not cool! Anyhoo...
DeleteIt's all in the position of the comma! ;-) In this case: "1 cup dry cashews, finely ground" which means that the measurement is taken before being ground up.