Recipe: Rawsome Berry Cheesecake!

There is seriously NOTHING to miss when you move to a Raw Food diet! This cheesecake is so easy and the perfect foil for dinner party guests who may wonder about you and your crazy lifestyle! 

for the crust:

1½ cups macadamias

½ cup pecans

¼ tsp VANILLA SEA SALT (or plain salt if preferred)

¼ teaspoon of vanilla bean powder

1 cup dried coconut

2 teaspoons cacao powder (optional)

¾ -1 cup of medjool dates- with stones removed

1 teaspoon coconut oil (does not need to be melted)

filling:

2.5 cups soaked cashews

flesh from one young coconut – you don’t need to use fresh coconut, but it does add a creamier texture, if you don’t have one handy, use another half cup of cashews) 

1 cup coconut water or almond milk (you can vary this depending on consistency) 

¾ cup lemon juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla bean powder

¾ cup coconut nectar plus 1 tablespoon

swirl:

½ cup frozen blueberries 

¾ cup coconut oil- melted

1 tablespoon lecithin (melt this in with the coconut oil) 

method:

crust:

1) take a 10 inch spring form cake tin and grease the bottom slightly with coconut oil or line it with baking paper (just be careful that there are no creases if you take this option) you can also use plastic wrap.

2) blend the nuts first, then add the other dry ingredients. with the food processor going, slowly add the dates through the feeder tube until the crust starts to rise up the sides of the bowl, stop and scrape this down, and continue, add the coconut oil in here as well. 

3) gently press the base into place, it should be a little sticky but pliable. once you have covered the base of the pan evenly, pop it in the freezer while you make the topping.

filling:

add all the ingredients to a blender (not food processor!) except for the blueberries, coconut oil and lecithin. blend till smooth and creamy, slowly add the coconut oil and lecithin. 

now take your pan from the freezer and pour in your mixture.

swirl:

take the blueberries and add them to the blender, with about 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of coconut nectar .

pour the mixture into the pan moving the jug around so as to distribute it evenly. you should feel that the majority of the berry mixture has gone deep into the original layer,then take a chopstick and quickly swirl it around to create a nice effect. If you prefer to have it near the top- I suggest holding back about a cup of the filling and mixing that with the berries so you get more of a layer effect.

return it to the freezer for 1-2 hours to set, then pop it in the fridge for an hour or so before serving. top with fresh blueberries, and/or grated chocolate. thereafter it can stay in the fridge for up to a week (if you can handle the temptation!) 

notes:

• ¥ • because the liquid portion can vary in flavour consistency (almond/coconut) check your filling for flavour, very often, the best thing to add is in fact salt, not sugar, so try a pinch first to see if that works.
• ¥ • of course you can get creative, use different fruits and berries, passionfruit is delicious especially if you make a little coulis on top!
• ¥ • you can experiment with any nuts you like for the crust!

Get creative decorating! We've sprinkled some beautiful