{raw vegan recipe} Vanilla Spice Cheesecake

Two weeks in a row I made this better-than-the-real-thing vanilla spice cheesecake, so I realized it was about time I made note of exact quantities.

THE FIRST TIME I MADE IT
(IT WAS A HIT)

At the first party (a birthday for my 90-year-old friend and neighbor, Ruth Stiller) I knew there would be nothing but cake and other sweets. Ruth gave me the go-ahead to bring a cake along to share so I could partake in the fun without feeling icky later. I didn’t make a thing of it, just set it down with a little sign that said it was raw + vegan + gluten-free. A woman saw me set it down so knew I made it, well, she apparently took a piece because she then hunted me down to tell me she really liked it.

I saw a friend who saw me eating the cake… so she ran inside to snag a piece. She said if she’d known she could have MY cake and it would be SO good, she wouldn’t have been “bad” with the sugar-filled stuff.

And that made me think…

Most of us would eat healthy food if we 1/ enjoyed it and 2/ had easy access to it.

So, I’d call that a success.

THE SECOND TIME I MADE THIS CAKE
(IT WAS A HIT)

My friend Chris threw a very classy get-together centered around clams he and his friend Don had caught the day before (three permits worth, apparently!). It was a potluck other than the clam bisque the lovely Marie had spent hours preparing… I will be straight up and tell you I had already decided I’d be willing to make some small exceptions to my usual diet. I was NOT going to hunt people down to ask about their salad dressing ingredients… but…

…you know… there was a TON of amazing local salad greens and foods. What a nice surprise; it almost looked like a raw-luck instead of a potluck!

In any case, the cake disappeared quickly. SEVERAL people who don’t “do” “raw” made a point to tell me they enjoyed it. (Yay!) AND, the highlight of me bringing this dish (which I labeled with the ingredients) was a kind woman (whose name I’ve sadly forgotten; her husband’s name was Rex) who made a point to let me know that she abstains from sugar, gluten, and dairy, so it was a super-special treat for her to see the cake. Then she added,

(No sugar, gluten, dairy)… And it was good too!

Ha!

MY POINT IN SHARING THE BACKGROUND WITH YOU

You all know I’m a fan of 5-ingredient, super-amazing, 5-minute recipes. This is NOT one of those. It takes the better part of the day to sit and whathaveyou PLUS about 20-45 minutes of actual food prep. PLUS you really need a good blender AND a good food processor.

But if you have all those things, OH, it is WORTH IT!

BY THE WAY, A NOTE ON STORAGE

It really needs to be airtight, but you can actually keep this bad boy (or good gal?) in the freezer for up to a month. Then it’s like ice cream cake!! No joke!

FINALLY, THE RECIPE!

16 servings
Equipment: 10-inch cheesecake pan, good blender, 7+ cup food processor

Note: You will need both {liquid super-vanilla} and {date paste} to make this recipe.

CRUST: PART 1 INGREDIENTS
2 cups almonds
1/2 Tbsp {date paste}
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp {liquid super-vanilla}

CRUST: PART 2 INGREDIENT
1 1/2 Tbsp {date paste}

FILLING: PART 1 INGREDIENTS
3 cups soaked cashews (before soaking, it was 2 1/4 cups cashews!)
1/4 cup {liquid super-vanilla}
1/2 cup coconut nectar (or agave nectar)
1/4 tsp sea salt

FILLING: PART 2 INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp soy lecithin granules (not flavored!)
2/3 cup melted coconut oil

FILLING: PART 3 INGREDIENTS
1 cup {liquid super-vanilla}
4 Tbsp {pumpkin pie spice}

CRUST INSTRUCTIONS

1. Food process all ingredients in the first section for a minute or few so that everything is well mixed.
2. Add the additional date paste. Make sure the crust is not over-processed!
3. BEFORE adding the crust, go ahead and lightly “grease” the pan with coconut oil, then pat down the crust only on the bottom of the cheesecake pan.

FILLING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Blend part 1 ingredients until VERY smooth.
2. Add part 2 ingredients to the blender.
3. Set aside all but 1 1/2 cups of what is in the blender, then add the part 3 ingredients. This will help you to create the marbled effect. If you don’t care if it’s as “pretty” or are very pressed for time, you can blend part 2 and 3 ingredients together.
4. To create the marbled effect, you’ll add the first layer, then slowly pour the second layer afterwards. Use a fork, toothpick, chopstick, whatever you have to gently combine the two layers.
5. Freeze the cheesecake for about 3-8 hours (depending on how cold your freezer is). DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP if you want the consistency to be “perfect”!
6. Transfer the cheesecake to the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes before serving, ideally. It’s good frozen if you are OK with that, though!

ENJOY!!!!

You might also like: