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MTF: Vegan Lemon + Raspberry "Cheesecake" {raw}

It was my birthday this week (29th birthday), and to celebrate I wanted to indulge my recent random craving for something cheese-cake-ey. Usually I'm all up in the chocolate cake for my birthday, but not this year.

I have had delicious and wonderful baked tofu cheesecakes before, but I wanted something super dense and rich, and didn't feel like using the oven.

So, with the help of the handy vitamix I was able to borrow (pretty wicked machine - don't want to give it back) , this delicious cake was born, and the recipe was destined for a MacroTreat Friday (MTF) post.

I'm not usually so into raw desserts as I find they can sit quite heavy, but raw cheesecakes can be pretty divine once in awhile. This one held up to all my expectations <3

MTF: Raw Lemon + Raspberry Cheesecake

This is a tart and fresh, yet superbly decadent treat. If you're craving something dense like a cheesecake, and you love lemon - you'll love this recipe. It's not super sweet, so play around with adding in some more maple syrup if desired. I'd recommend serving with some ginger tea :)

* Largely Inspired by + Modified from a combination of this recipe and this recipe and another from one of my cookbooks :)

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2/3 cup almonds
  • 2/3 cup hemp hearts or walnuts (I used hemp hearts)
  • 1 TBSP pure maple syrup
  • 3 TBSP coconut oil

Lemon Filling

  • 2.5 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener of choice)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened coconut out of a carton) + a bit more
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice (if you love lemon as much as me, add in even more!)
  • 3 TBSP coconut butter
  • 3 TBSP coconut oil
  • pinch of sea salt
  • zest of one lemon

Raspberry Swirl

  • 1/2 - 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions

  1. Make the crust: In a highspeed blender or food processor, combine the almonds and hemp hearts until they are crumbly (not butter). Add in the maple syrup and coconut oil, and blend again until combined.
  2. Line a 6" tart pan or springform with parchment paper.
  3. Press crust into bottom of pan.
  4. Make filling: Drain and rinse soaked cashews. Add to blender, along with all of the other filling ingredients, and process until very smooth. Add a little more milk if needed (I ended up adding about 2 TBSP more).
  5. Pour onto crust.
  6. Make Raspberry swirl: add in all ingredients to blender, and blend until smooth. Pour on top of cake, and using a fork, swirl it around to combine. If you use less raspberries, you'll get more of a swirl look. I used quite a few (yum!) so I ended up with a pink layer.
  7. Put into fridge overnight. If you have toothpicks, I'd recommend putting a few in around the edges and covering with plastic wrap. You can also place in the freezer to set faster - I'd guess about 4 hours or so. [in the end I put mine in the freezer to firm up, it wasn't quite as solid as I wanted the next morning].
  8. Bring out of fridge or freezer and let sit for about 15 minutes before you cut + serve.
  9. Enjoy!

It was really, really good, and hit my lemon + berry craving straight on the nose.

Do you like raw or vegan cheesecakes? What's your favourite recipe?
Have a great weekend, friends!
xoxo Jess