Vanilla & Strawberry Cheesecake (vegan, raw, gluten free)
Ingredients:
Crust
1 cup of coconut chips
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds (or more coconut)
1 cup of cashews
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp beetroot powder
1/2 cup of coconut sugar
1/2 cup of cacao butter (or coconut oil although cacao butter gives the crust more of a biscuit texture). You could also use soft dried fruit like dates or apricots to bind and sweeten instead of coconut sugar and cacao butter. I would start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed
optional: 2 tbsp of dried raspberries
Filling
3 cups of cashews, soaked in warm water for 30 to 60 minutes
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of coconut kefir or plant based yogurt
1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
3/4 cup of melted cacao butter
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg
juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp of salt
1 cup of chopped strawberries plus a few slices to decorate the top
Line a rectangular or square cake tin with plastic wrap or parchment paper. (For these quantities, I used a rectangular one 30 x 20 cm - 12 x 8 “).
Place the coconut, seeds and cashews in a food processor with the coconut sugar, salt, vanilla and beetroot powder blending until they reach a fine consistency.
Add the cacao butter and dried raspberries if using and process until the dough sticks together.
Press the crust into your cake tin and place in the freezer to set.
Place all the filling ingredients in a blender pouring the liquid ones first and blend until smooth and creamy.
Add the chopped strawberries in the jug and mix with a spatula.
Pour the filling on the cake crust and decorate the surface with a few strawberry slices.
Set in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, cut into squares, let thaw for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!
It would be lovely served with some coconut yogurt or chocolate sauce!
Store the cake in the fridge for up to 4-5 days or in an airtight container in the freezer.
