Raw Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

I’ve been experimenting with raw desserts lately. I’m neither a vegan or a raw-foodist, but my oven is broken. Dessert waits for no repairman. Luckily, you can make a lot of great desserts using a Vitamix, Blendtec or even a food processor if that is what you have.

I wasn’t planning to make a vegan cheesecake, I was originally aiming for something closer to a lemon tart. We will call this a happy accident. The end result was so rich and creamy, it deserves the illustrious title of “cheesecake”.  Although, my omnivorous friends out there are probably crying “blasphemy” as there is not a drop of dairy anywhere in this recipe.

One great thing about raw desserts, they are really easy to make. I’m good at baking, but I know a lot of people struggle with it. All that kitchen chemistry can go haywire! With a raw dessert, much less can go wrong. You don’t have to worry about variables such as cooking times and the precise weight of ingredients. Also, it’s easy to make substitutions without messing up the whole thing.

It’s a hard to tell from the photos, but this cake is a little guy. I usually use a 6-inch cake pan when making raw desserts. You may wonder why I’d make such a small cake. The answer is in the ingredients. Raw desserts are often loaded with nutrient dense foods. This cake is primarily made of nuts and coconut oil. A little piece goes a long way. A 6 inch cake should easily feed four people. Of course, portion size is ultimately up to you. You can easily double the recipe and make a bigger cake.

About that cake pan, I recommend using a springform or Cake Ring. If you don’t have that, line the bottom of your pan with a circle of parchment. I also line the sides with strips of acetate or parchment so it can slide out easily. I let it set in the freezer until it is very firm and the whole thing comes out intact.  If this is too much bother for you, you can make individual tarts in a cupcake liner and muffin tin. It’s hard to go wrong.

You will notice this recipe has Hemp Hearts in the crust. If you can’t find them, you can use sunflower seeds.

Now, if you will excuse me…I’m off to eat cheesecake for breakfast.

One note of clarification for this recipe. The recipe calls for Canned Coconut Milk, not the coconut beverage that is sold in boxes. I am unable to edit the recipe due to some technical issues.

Raw Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

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• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/3 cup hemp Hearts
• 1 teaspoon sweetener of your choice*
• 1.5 tbsp coconut oil
• Filling:
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts (soaked for a few hours)
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for a few hours)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sweetener of choice*

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Instructions

1. Soak your macadamia nuts and cashews for a few hours before you plan to make the cake. Drain off the water before using them in the recipe.
2. Combine the almonds and hemp hearts together in your blender at a moderate speed. You don’t want to make a nut butter, you want it to be mealy.
3. Add your sweetener of choice and 1.5 tbsp coconut oil. Mix on a low speed until it starts to come together.
4. Press the mixture in to a 6 inch cake pan or springform lined with parchment. Set aside as you make your filling.
5. Combine all the filling ingredients in your high-performance blender or food processor until the mixture is completely smooth. There shouldn’t be any chunky bits.
6. Taste the mixture to see if it is sweet enough for you. If it isn’t, add more sweetener in small increments until you are happy with it.
7. Pour the mixture on top of the crust in the cake pan.
8. Set in the freezer until firm, or the fridge if you have more time. It took about 1 hour in the freezer for me.

Notes

*A note on sweeteners: I like to make desserts that people can adapt to suit their own dietary needs. I personally use Swerve and liquid stevia in place of sugar. You can use any number of natural or artificial sweeteners in this recipe. Sweetness levels can vary. If you are using a sweetener that you are unfamiliar with, I recommend checking the manufacturers website to determine the recommend amounts. Most manufacturers will tell you how to substitute their product in recipes in place of sugar. Let taste be your ultimate guide.