I can’t believe I did not photograph this before bringing it to a birthday party tonight. I lay blame to Momma brain, combined with September heat and cramming two birthday parties into a single Saturday. Thankfully, the original recipe from which this was derived has a fantastic photo that can give you an idea of what to expect. The beauty of this dessert is not only that it is paleo, vegan, gluten, soy, dairy free AND delicious, but it’s also pretty to boot! You can feel confident bringing this dessert to a party and knowing that pretty much anyone who can eat nuts will thoroughly enjoy it. Goodness knows it’s near impossible to please both vegan AND paleo folks at a potluck. Bring this decadent ‘cheesecake’ and everyone will be your best friend!
(Heads up – this evening the entire thing was gone within the first two hours of the party – you may want to make two).
Raw Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake
Serves 10
Crust
2 cups raw nuts
1 cup dates or raisins
pinch of salt
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
3 cups raw cashews pieces
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
zest of all the lemons you juiced
pinch of salt
Blueberry Layer
2 cups organic blueberries (I used frozen)
1/4 cup of the lemon cheesecake mixture
To make the crust: process the nuts and dates/raisins in your food processor until the nuts have become crumbs and the mixture sticks together when you press it. Press into the bottom of a spring-form pan and put in the fridge.
To make the lemon cheesecake: blend all ingredients (except lemon zest) in a Vitamix or Blend-Tec until very smooth. Pour cheesecake mix into a bowl then add in the lemon zest with a spoon and stir until well combined. Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture for the blueberry topping – pour the rest onto your crust, spread until evenly layered atop the crust and put it back in the freezer.
To make the blueberry layer: blend the blueberries and the 1/4 cup of cheesecake mixture in your food processor or blender until creamy but still with small pieces of blueberry for texture. Spread this over your cheesecake and keep in the freezer or fridge overnight. If you can wait a day – this is best after 2 days (and not frozen, of course) enjoy with fresh blueberries!