Raw Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
This is one of those recipes where - yes it's healthy. It's gluten free, dairy free and all those other buzz words. But it doesn't even matter. Serve this at a party and no one would ever think it was a healthy dessert.
You could make this in a spring form cheesecake pan, but I love to make it in individual silicone muffin molds. Makes serving and storing so much easier.
THE CRUST
In a food processor, blend:
- 2/3 cup hazelnuts
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 3 large dates
Mixture should be crumbly, but fine and should stick together when pressed between your fingers. If it's not sticky enough, add a couple more dates. Spoon 1 tablespoon of crust into each muffin cup and firmly press down.
THE FILLING
- 2.5 cups cashews, soaked at least 4 hours
- 1 cup young coconut meat (found at most asian grocery stores, or sub more cashews)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup cherries (or any other berry you like)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed (not just liquid, but actually warmed up)
In a food processor, blend all ingredients EXCEPT coconut oil. Once mixture is smooth and creamy, leave your food processor running and slowly stream in the warm coconut oil. This will make sure the coconut oil emulsifies instead of turning into cold chunks.
Scoop filling into muffin cups and fill all the way to the top.
THE TOPPING
- 3/4 cup cashews, soaked at least 4 hours
- 1/4 cup coconut water
- 1 cup fresh young coconut meat (important to use it here - you can sub more cashews, but it's not the same)
- 3 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla and seeds of half a vanilla bean (if you don't have a vanilla bean hanging around, it's ok. It just won't be as beautifully vanilla-y, but not the end of the world)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed
Place all ingredients EXCEPT coconut oil into the food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, and then slowly stream in your coconut oil with your machine still running.
Now - at this point, you can just put a little scoop of the topping on top of each cheesecake. However, if you want to get fancy and pipe it on like frosting - stick the topping in the freezer for 30 minutes or so until it's thick enough to pipe on top.
Once your cheesecake are assembled - put them in the freezer for at least 4 hours so they get really solid. At that point - you can remove the silicone molds, store them in the fridge and they'll remain totally intact. You need the freezer time initially though to get the cheesecakes past the goopy pudding consistency stage. They freeze very well, and will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
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