Raw Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe

“Raw baking is too much work, I can’t be bothered.” I get this comment a lot. But let me tell you ladies, gents (and mom): if it were difficult, I wouldn’t have whipped up this raw vegan blueberry cheesecake in like 20 minutes.

Raw baking is, in my opinion, one of the easiest ways of baking. Because most of the time, all you need to do is throw everything in a blender and let it do the work for you. Not only that, raw recipes can be perpetually varied simply by switching up the ingredients a little bit, like using different berries, nuts, seeds, fruits, and super powders.

Related: Raw Vegan Mango Lemon Cheesecake

Sure, soaking nuts for a couple of hours might seem time consuming, but with a little planning you’ll be laughing at how easy it is.

I usually throw some cashews in a bowl of water in the morning before I go to work. When I get home from work the nuts have soaked long enough for me to pop them in the blender along with the rest of my ingredients. With the push of a button, the blender does the work for me. Ahhh, technology.

So, just how time consuming is it to make this raw vegan blueberry cheesecake? In terms of active time (including washing the dishes), I made this cake in 20 minutes flat. And while the nuts were soaking for 8 hours and the cake was in the freezer for about 1-2 hours to set, I went about the rest of my day (knocked a bunch of things off my to do list).

Still not convinced? Just make the cake and you can thank me later.

Raw Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake

Makes one 8 1/2 inch (21cm) cake

For the base
1 cup mixed nuts (I used almonds and walnuts)
1 cup dates, pitted
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla, optional
pinch of salt

For the “cheesecake” layers
2 cups cashews, soaked for 8 hours
1 vanilla pod, seeds of
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 lemon, juice of
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup coconut milk (the creamy stuff at the top of a can)
1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
1 teaspoon freeze dried blueberry powder, optional

Method

1. Line the base of a round cake pan (8 1/2 inch / 21 cm) with parchment paper.
2. In a high speed food processor or blender, blend the mixed nuts, dates, coconut, vanilla (if using) and salt (it should form a sticky dough).
3. Press the dough into the base of the cake pan and smooth it out with you fingers or with the back of a spoon (if the dough is very sticky, dip the spoon into water to keep it from sticking too much). Place in the freezer while you prepare the “cheesecake” layers.
4. Drain and rinse the cashews and place them in the blender. Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise down the middle and scrape out the beans, add them to the blender along with the coconut oil, lemon juice, and coconut milk. Blend on high until you’ve got a smooth creme.
5. Pour half of the cream over the cake base and spread out evenly. Place back in the freezer while you make the blueberry layer.
6. Add the blueberries and blueberry powder (if using) to the remaning half of the cashew creme batter, blend on high until smooth and then pour over the first layer of your cake.
7. Even out the top of the cake and tap the cake pan on the counter a couple of times to eliminate any air bubbles. Then pop it back in the freezer for 1-2 hours to set.
8. Take the cake out to defrost slightly about 20-30 minutes before you’re going to serve it.

Enjoy!