The Unbakery Blueberry Cheesecake
April 27, 2015
Blueberry Cheesecake by Megan May, The Unbakery Raw Organic Goodness Cookbook - (Purchase your Unbakery Cookbook at The Gift Loft for $55).
We made this scrumptious dessert for a dinner party, when some of the guests had dairy & gluten intolerances. This was the perfect answer - it tastes just like a rich cheesecake should taste, it is sweet & looks impressive; but best of all, it had no refined sugar, no cooking was required, there is no diary, egg or gluten and it can be made the day before your dinner party! Our guests loved it so much that some of the men took pieces home for breakfast the next day!
The preparation is the main thing - make sure you have everything ready and that you have followed the steps of activating the almonds & cashews before you start. Also, ensure you have a strong hand to open the coconut - this was somewhat interesting & probably the most difficult part of the process. Once you have the coconut flesh, it is easy.
The Unbakery Cookbook contains all the best tips and methods for such processes as activating almonds & cashews and opening a coconut. We really recommend that you buy the book to get the best results from all the extra tips. However, the following is how we created this gorgeous dessert:
Base
This is so delicious, we will be making this part on its own, as a raw crumble topping, on fruit for breakfast or as a quick sweet snack in the day.
3/4 cup dried coconut
1 cup activated almonds (soak almonds overnight in filtered water, then rinse before using)
1/3 cup cashews
1 1/4 cup pitted dates
1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp cold pressed coconut oil
- Blend the dried coconut in the food processor until it is coconut flour (you could use ready made coconut flour and remove this step).
- Blend the nuts & dates together in the food processor until almost a couscous like texture. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. The mixture will hold together well.
- Line a cake tin with plastic wrap. Press the mixture into the base evenly & firmly. We had too much mixture so we stored the left over mixture in an airtight container and used it as a raw crumble on fruit.
- Place the tart base into the refrigerate while you make a filling.
Filling
1 1/4 cups cashews (soaked in water for 2-4 hours)
2 cups young coconut flesh (or use 1 1/2 cups cashews)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/3 cup filtered water
3 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup raw honey
pinch sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup cold pressed coconut oil
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (defrosted)
- Drain the soaked cashews and rinse thoroughly. Blend all the ingredients, except the coconut oil and berries, in a high speed blender - be careful not to let it heat up. Blend until it is smooth.
- Slowly pour in the coconut oil with the blender going until completely combined into the mixture.
- Pour half the mixture into the cake tin, then add the blueberries to the remaining mixture. Blend and mix until combined.
- Now pour the blueberry filling over the base cream mixture and use a teaspoon to swirl them together to get a marbling effect. Do not over swirl, or it will result in a purple cheesecake.
- Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and leave to set in the refrigerator or freezer for a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight.
The cookbook provides optional blueberry coulis toppings. We just blended fresh blueberries (strained & thickened with a little cornflour - this requires heating the blueberries which means it is not technically "raw" so do not do this if you are aiming for a completely "raw" food diet) and placed spoonfuls of the blueberries over the cheesecake, when it was set.
The Unbakery Cookbook is an ideal gift for her, Mother's Day or a birthday. Both men and women who are gluten free or dairy intolerant will enjoy these delicious, healthy and inspirational dishes.
