I have a real thing for cold desserts in winter.
I’ll literally go months without so much as a spoonful of ice cream and then find myself craving it in the middle of January.
(Which is a problem because in the dead of winter all the ice cream stands are closed and I don’t want a tub of ice cream in my freezer, surprisingly not because I don’t want the temptation - mostly because months will go by before either Mike or I finish even a small container. A girl can’t catch a break, lol.)
But when I recently found Cashew “Cream” in my fridge, I was inspired and remembered wanting to make vegan “cheesecake”. I can’t remember where I first saw the idea (Pinterest, maybe?), but I know I’ve seen cashew cream “cheesecake”before!
This is how I do it. There’s no baking involved, but it does need a nice little stint in the freezer to stiffen up before serving. (No worries though; we all know freezer time babysits itself.)
The resulting “cheesecake” is velvety, rich, and creamy, and flavored of vanilla, almond, and coconut. Not to be overshadowed by the filling, the sweet and nutty crust is actually pretty fabulous too (and I think warrants being remade into its own thing, but that’s a different recipe for a different day).
The bottom line is that whether or not you do cold desserts in the winter, you won’t want to miss this one.
I used my recipe for Cashew Cream to make this!
- Crust:
- ¼ cup raw, unsalted walnuts
- ¼ cup unsweetened, flaked coconut
- 1 oz (30 g) Deglet Noor dates, pitted and chopped (about 4 to 5 dates; remove the pits before weighing)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- “Cheesecake”:
- ⅔ cup Cashew Cream
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- Topping:
- 2 tablespoons dark-roasted unsalted almonds
- Drape a piece of plastic wrap into a 4-inch springform pan so the inside is completely covered.
- Add all crust ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Press this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Beat together all “cheesecake” ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. Pour onto the crust.
- Cover the top of the springform pan with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours (or up to 1 week).
- When you want to serve it, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, top with almonds, and cut it into 4 slices.
Christine // my natural kitchen
I love cashew cheesecakes, and your version looks delicious! I bet that almond topping adds such a good crunch!