The rad thing about this dessert (one of many rad things…), is its versatility. I chose to make a vanilla/raspberry combo, but please don’t let that stop you from experimenting! If you like blueberries, use ‘em. If you’re a chocolate lover, throw in a few heaping tablespoons of raw cacao. How about trying something more tropical like mango and goji berries? The sky is the limit and your tummy is growling, I can hear it from here. Just remember to use the lemon juice with whatever flavour you decide on – it’s crucial to have the extra liquid for blending, and it gives that tangy “cheesecake” taste you’re after!
This is one dessert that is seriously hard to mess up. The only snafu is that you need a pretty powerful machine to pulverize the cashews, even after they’ve been soaking overnight. I tried using a food processor and it worked, but the cream wasn’t totally silky smooth, as with my high-speed blender. I think a good blender with various speeds and settings would do the trick – jack it up to maximum power and see what happens. Regardless, the filling is delectable, even if not velvety soft!
For more about the Raw Cashew Dreamcake head over to the blog!
Raw Cashew Dreamcake
Ingredients
Crust
- ½ cup raw almonds pecan or walnuts will also work
- ½ cup soft Medjool dates
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
Filling
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews soaked for at least 5 hours, overnight is best
- juice of 2 lemons
- the seeds of 1 whole vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup raw coconut oil melted
- ⅓ cup raw honey or agave nectar
- 1 cup raspberries thaw completely if using frozen
Directions
- Place nuts and dates in a food processor with sea salt and pulse to chop until they are to your desired fineness (process a finer crust longer than a chunky one). Test the crust by spooning out a small amount of mixture and rolling it in your hands. If the ingredients hold together, your crust is perfect. Scoop out crust mixture in a 7” spring-form pan (if you don’t have a spring-form pan, use a pie plate lined with saran wrap), and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Rinse food processor well.
- Warm coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid. Whisk to combine.
- In the most powerful food processor / blender you own (you decide which one has the most torque) place all filling ingredients (except raspberries) and blend on high until very smooth (this make take a couple minutes so be patient). If you have a Vitamix or comparable machine, absolutely use it.
- Pour about 2/3 (just eyeball it, you can’t make a mistake!) of the mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula. Add the raspberries to the remaining filling and blend on high until smooth. Pour onto the first layer of filling. Place in freezer until solid.
- To serve, remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and cut into slices. Serve on its own, or with fresh fruit. Store leftovers in the freezer (what leftovers?).
