In August I shared a raw cherry "cheese" cake. In this recipe cashew butter was used to make the filling. In this next version, the cashews are soaked. The final verdict for me between these two recipes? I prefer the soaked cashew method. The filling really mimics traditional cheese cake. It was light and creamy. But again, I haven't had real cheese cake in years, so my memory of this dessert is a little foggy, but I can tell you that I prefer this method over the use of cashew butter. My children and husband loved them both equally. But I happen to live with three hopeless dessert/sweet fanatics, so they will eat anything I put in front of them that resembles cake. Good for me, right. Let me know if you get around to making any raw "cheese" cakes. I really enjoy them and look forward to experimenting with different ingredients. Yes, pumpkin is definitely on the list.
Raw Strawberry "Cheesecake"
Inspired by nearly all the raw "cheesecakes" from Heather @ Sweetly Raw
Ingredients:
Crust
-2 cups raw walnuts (soak and dry for optimal digestion)
-1 cup pitted and chopped dates (make sure they are soft and at room temp)
-2 teaspoons coconut oil
Filling
-2 cups raw cashews soaked 4 - 6 hours
-1/3 cup honey (vegans use maple syrup or 30+ drops of vanilla or plain stevia) and add more if you're a sweet tooth.
-1/2 cup coconut oil (liquid state) - I use Tropical Traditions Golden Label Virgin
-1 tablespoon vanilla
Strawberry Sauce
-8 ounces fresh strawberries (frozen then thawed for off season)
-1 tablespoon honey (vegans use maple syrup or 7 drops plain or flavored stevia)
-1 teaspoon liquid coconut oil
How To:
1. For crust: in a food processor pulse walnuts a few times, add in dates and coconut oil. Blend until well incorporated. I used an 8 inch spring form pan. You can put some wax or parchment paper down on the bottom if you wish. Press walnut and date crust mixture into pan.
2. For the strawberry sauce: in a blender (food processor or high speed) blend the strawberries and honey until smooth.
3. For the filling: in a food processor, add cashews, honey and vanilla and start blending, drizzle in coconut oil. You can make this in a food processor or high speed blender, just take note that a high speed blender will yield a smoother texture. Add mixture to the crust and smooth out. Then top with about 1/2 of the strawberry sauce.
4. After assembly, place in freezer for at least 4 hours, then you can remove from spring form pan and transfer to fridge. The cake will get soft in the fridge, so keep it in the freezer if you want a very firm cake. I liked it on the softer side so I stored it in the fridge. 
Shared on: Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Motivate Me Mondays, Monday Mania, Mealtime Monday, My Meatless Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday, On The Menu Monday, Mix It Up Monday, Meatless Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Raw Foods Thursdays, Keep It Real Thursdays, Wellness Weekend, GAPS Friendly Friday, Whole Foods Friday,
Oh Amber. How do you keep up with my cravings? This looks so delicious and your pictures are wonderful! I tried a key lime pie very similar to this recipe about a month ago but haven't gotten around to posting it yet. Amazing how soaked cashews really taste creamy and pie/cheesecake-like.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another winner!
Jen
Amber this looks gorgeous! Thanks for the shout out ;) Your stuff always looks fantastic. I think that raw cheesecake beats a cooked one any day! :D
ReplyDeleteOh this is lovely! Fabulous Amber!
ReplyDeleteThis looks sooo good and your pictures are amazing! I just made a pumpkin cheesecake using raw cashews. It's in the freezer right now and I can't wait to see how it turns out! If it turns out the way I'm hoping, I'll post it in the next week or two :)
ReplyDeleteCan I bite into one of those pieces right now?! Gorgeous pictures Amber and a divine dessert. My Strawberry crazy daughter will go nuts for this cake-and she won't even know how good it is for her!
ReplyDeleteWow Amber! This looks incredibly creamy thick and delicious! Perfect cheesecake texture! Soaked cashews really are perfect for dairy free treats!
ReplyDeleteWow, I just want to face plant into that cheesecake! It looks just like the real thing and that sauce just makes it look irresistible! Nice one Amber :)
ReplyDeleteI just love the simplicity of this Amber. It's gorgeous too, but with so few ingredients, it's easy enough to whip up. I look forward to trying this out. And I eat cheese, but why would you when it could be yummy cashews instead. Yum.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh what a delicious pie! i love the strawberry sauce! yum:)
ReplyDeleteOh Amber, I am so glad that you shared these gorgeous pictures with us! I love every one of them! (And, yes, Heather of Sweetly Raw is such an inspiration!!) Cheesecake must be in the air this month! Thanks for sharing this with Raw Foods Thursdays!
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh, you've seriously got me drooling Amber! I'm going to have to try this asap before strawberries are gone for the season!
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! I'm off sweets for a few weeks but this is definitely at the top of my list.
ReplyDeleteWow, this looks great! I have been getting into making raw desserts like this, so I will have to try it. Thank you so much for sharing this on Meatless Monday :)
ReplyDeleteYum--I will try making this crustless to cut down on the fats.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!
Peace and Raw Health,
Elizabeth
I made this with mangoes instead of strawberries and it was delicious!!!! Love the crust and cashew filling!!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness...mango sounds amazing! What a great idea. Love it. Thanks or sharing. :-)
DeleteHappy Halloween.