Raw strawberry dreamcake

Whoever came up with the basic raw cheesecake recipe is a genius. I’m constantly amazed, not only by its short ingredients list, but also by its versatility. You soak some nuts, blend them with some sweetener and coconut oil and whatever flavour options you prefer, and then you throw it in the freezer. This dessert is seriously hard to mess up.

I recently had a reader ask if it’s possible to make a raw cheesecake like my raw chocolate chili cheesecake that is free of coconut and cashews. Although both cashews and coconut oil are main ingredients in most recipes, I was determined to create an alternative.

Here’s the deal: a raw cheesecake means that all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes present in the whole foods you use to make the cake remain intact. Instead of a plateful of empty calories, you actually have a handful of fruit and nuts that are doing your body some good. Coconut oil is important in helping raw cheesecakes firm up because it solidifies at temperatures below 25 C. Cashews are also a staple because of their bland flavour. Soaking them is a pretty common practice: it neutralizes their enzyme inhibitors, makes them easier to digest and also softens them for easier blending. In this case, macadamia nuts came to the rescue and proper proportions made it so that the cake could sit at room temperature sans coconut oil without melting into a nutty mess.

For those who are sensitive to cashews or coconut, this is a dreamcake come true. I chose to make a vanilla and strawberry 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 tablespoon of raw cacao. The sky is the limit. I made this recipe for two mini cheesecakes, but you can always double the ingredients for a larger cake. Enjoy!