Raw raspberry swirl cheezecake
It’s Ani Phyo week! I’ll tell you in a few days exactly why that is, but in the meantime, here’s a sweet treat from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts
For the crust:
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup pitted dates
1/8 tsp sea salt
For the filling:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours
6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup agave nectar
For the swirl:
Heaping 1/4 cup raspberries
2 Tbsp pitted dates
2 Tbsp agave nectar
To make the crust, combine the almond meal, dates, and salt in a food processor. (If you don’t have almond meal, pulse about 1/2 cup raw almonds in the food processor until you get fine crumbs.)
Pulse to create moist crumbs.
Press into the bottom and about an inch up the sides of a lightly greased 6-inch springform pan.
To make the filling, rinse and drain the cashews and combine with the lemon juice, coconut oil, and agave nectar in a blender or food processor.
Blend until completely smooth. (I transferred mine from the processor to the Vitamix to get it smoother.) Pour the filling into the crust.
To make the swirl, combine the raspberries (use frozen if you don’t have fresh), dates, and agave in the same blender (don’t bother to wash it). Blend until smooth, adding a splash of water if necessary. If you don’t like raspberry seeds, you can strain them out, but I like my filling seedy (…that’s what she said). Carefully pour the raspberry mixture on top of the cashew mixture in the crust.
Use a knife to gently swirl the two layers together. I didn’t do the best job, so mine ended up not-too-swirly, but it all tastes the same going down (…that’s also what she said. I’m on a roll today!).
Cover the cheezecake with plastic wrap and freeze for a few hours until firm. This will keep for weeks in the fridge, but take it out to thaw about 15-20 minutes before serving.
Not only is it adorable (if I do say so myself), it’s delicious! The chewy crust would be praiseworthy on its own, but the berrylicious filling also can’t be beat. Somehow rich and refreshing at the same time, it makes for an indulgent yet healthy dessert. Or snack. Or maybe even breakfast!
Yield: 8 servings.
Per serving: 323 calories, 22.3g fat (8g sat), 29.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 6.7g protein.
If you like this, you might also like…
Raw flaxseed pancakes
Loaded raw chilly chili
Raw pecan pie cookies
Looks delish!! I MUST make this soon!
You should! Then come back and let me know how you liked it :]
This does look like a refreshing summertime dessert.
It is, and another great thing is that you can customize it to include your favorite summer berry or fruit in place of raspberry.
Bookmarked! This actually looks doable for me, with my limited pantry and kitchen equipment, plus *thank you* for making a smaller version!! As I’m just cooking for me these days, I end up having to eat entire batches of cookies, desserts, etc in a matter of days (not that I’m really complaining
)
P.S. I’m absolutely mortified by the post I just put up, though, having read this one of yours!
Definitely! You need only minimal equipment (a food processor or blender, and one pan) and 8 different ingredients (some of which could even be substituted, such as maple syrup for agave or strawberries for raspberries).
Oh, I feel you on the “Oh no, now I have to eat all these treats before they go bad, which is so great for my taste buds but so bad for my figure” (not that you have that last problem!). I’m glad I have a boyfriend who is more than happy to help me “get rid of” desserts and baked goods. Would you believe the last guy I dated “didn’t like sweets”?! The nerve! Hehe…let’s find you a treat-eating boytoy
PS—Peppermint SUCKS!!
Dear Amber,
Can you please find me a sweets-eating boytoy? I am rather bereft of cuddles and snuggles. Canberra is like a wasteland for finding nice single men, and it makes me sad inside. Maybe the bloggie swap?
Love,
Hannah
P.S. Let’s go egg peppermint’s house. It’ll be cathartic, fo’ shizzle!
/*begin overly flowery praise*/
Taaaaaaast-Y! And, for the record, I hate(!!) regular cheesecake. But, Amber melted my armor; so, I tried it. Then the cheezecake melted my tummy. Yummy!
/*end overly flowery praise*/
And then, we melted each others’ hearts. Awwww ;P
that’s impressive, both the recipe and the write up
Thanks, Dave :] If I didn’t hear so much about Chris’ excellent food offerings at game night, I’d send some treats with Matt to share!
OHHHHH GOD!! You posted my weekness. CHEESECAKE!!!!!
~(doing the whole Homer Simpson drooling sounds) I LOVE cheesecake.
~
Mmmmmmm. cheesecake.
Nick, please, remain calm! Watch the drool spillage!
I’m glad to know I hit upon your food weakness though, Mr. I-Can’t-Eat-Chocolate!
hey amber, we were both winners of averies granola giveaway. just wanted to say congrats!! WOO WOO <3
Hey! I actually won her last giveaway (for the 18 Rabbits bars) but thanks and hello nonetheless!
I Must try this MUST. Cheesecake is one of my most favorite foods in the world, you know.. next to PB :p
If you do, let me know how you like it!
What a beauty! Though labor-intensive, raw cheesecakes always end up being so pretty… And that, paired with the taste, almost always makes the work worthwhile.
I was actually surprised how labor-intensive this one wasn’t! Outside of soaking the nuts, it took me less than 10 minutes to assemble.
Um.. yes please!
cant wait to try this one out, it looks excellent.
Awesome, lemme know what you think of it after you try it :]
That does look delicious…and very do-able. I’m gonna have to try this myself one of these days. Right now I’m on a roadtrip with not a lot of healthy options around. But looking forward to getting back in the groove soon.
I know how you feel! I was road-tripping the past three days and just got home. My dehydrator is already humming away!
I need to try a raw “cheese”cake. I have always hated real cheesecake, but this sounds so much better!
My boyfriend hates real cheesecake too, so he was skeptical of raw cheesecake, but now he loves it! I hope you try it and like it too :]
great job amber! wow that looks delish!
i have also been on an ani-inspired week…i love that woman!
Thanks! You’ll have to be sure to read my post tomorrow for some Ani excitement…
i looooove raw cheesecake–and love this raspberry filing! love the step-by-step pics!
Hehe, thanks! I like to think of the step-by-step photos as my blog’s “signature” feature. I’m so glad you enjoy that aspect!
Haha, you and your cashews!! It looks delicious, but I am just not a fan of cashews. Can you taste the “cashew?” Otherwise, is there an alternative to cashews?
There’s definitely zero cashew taste whatsoever—soaking and blending them turns them into a neutral-flavored, fluffy cream :] Somehow cashews + lemon juice creates something that tastes neither cashewy nor lemony!
this looks amazing, i think i’m going to try it. thanks for the recipe
You’re very welcome! If you do try it, be sure to come back and let me know how you liked it. :]
I will try it out! Sure my family will love this delicious and healthy dessert!
I hope your family loves it, Anastasia!