Photo: penguincakes / Flickr

One often hears of American baked cheesecakes and European curd cheesecakes but one seldom hears about dairy-free cheesecakes made with nuts. Peter and Beryn Daniel have shared their raw food creation in their book –their cheesecake is made with almonds, pecan nuts, cashew nuts and macadamia nuts. Besides nuts, there is plenty of fruit including granadillas, raspberries, mango and gooseberries. There is no sugar in this recipe ‑ honey and agave nectar are used to add sweetness to the dessert.

Prepare the dairy-free cheesecake base

Before measuring out all your ingredients, soak one cup of almonds and one cup of pecan nuts for two hours. Once they are soaked, drain them – then measure out one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of coconut oil, the seeds of one vanilla pod, a quarter of a teaspoon of salt (Himalayan salt is recommended), two teaspoons of lemon juice and three tablespoons of cocoa powder.

Place all these ingredients into your food processor and blend until everything is incorporated and the nuts are very finely chopped. Place the mixture into a springform cake tin and press it into the base so that it is even – then refrigerate.

Prepare the filling

Measure out the following ingredients and place them into your blender: once cup each of macadamia nuts and coconut oil, two cups of cashew nuts, half a cup of agave, a quarter of a cup of lemon juice, one large mango (or two smaller mangoes) and the seeds of two vanilla pods.

Blend the ingredients until they are well incorporated and of a smooth consistency. Take the tin out of the fridge and pour the filling over the base.

Prepare the topping

Combine the contents of six granadillas with a quarter of a cup of agave – then strain off the excess juice and pour the mixture over the filling. Decorate the top further with gooseberries and raspberries (should you wish) and leave your dairy-free cheesecake in the fridge overnight to set.

Note: Gooseberries are packed with phosphorous and vitamins (including vitamins A, C, B1, B2 and B6) ‑ which is why they are considered a superfood in the Rawlicious cookbook.

Tags: desserts