I'd like to see you in the raw... under the stars, above.

I have gone into restaurants that serve plant based items for a long time.  There is one in particular here in town that also does everything exclusively gluten-free, so on occasion, I will have a treat from there.  I have long been mystified by, but have never purchased one of their raw, vegan cheesecakes.  They aren't cheap, and their single-serve items seemed like more than I could handle in a sitting.  Also, whenever I go in there, I'm usually with someone who isn't interested in trying them.  So, alas, I went into this recipe, completely blind.  

But I had read up on them, and everyone who HAS tried them has said that they really think they taste like the real deal.  And well?  I'll be damned if they were not right, here, because whoa, lord.  Yes.  It really does.  Even the tang is right, although that may have something to do with the use of citrus in this one.  

I loosely followed some instructions for this one, but largely kind of made it my own, since I didn't bother to look up quantities, and went with intuition on things that would emulsify, and things that would create structure.  What I got was a "cheesecake" that holds together really well, and has all of the creaminess and tang of a regular, baked cheesecake.

This is not to say I will never make a cheesecake.  Because I will.  I love regular cheesecake, too.  But I like to build my repertoire, and I like to be able to accommodate people who need different things in their diets, without question, and with enthusiasm, because it can all be delicious.  Even my picky husband and kids loved this damn thing.  So, without further adieu, I bring you:

Raw Vegan Lime-ginger cheesecake

You will need:

Food processor
Spatula
Measuring cups
9" spring form pan (yeah, I know it says 9' spring form pan in the picture.  Yeah, keep on smilin'...)
microplane
citrus reamer
knife


Ingredients:

For filling: 
4 cups of dry cashews that you will soak for 6 hours, or overnight.
1/4 c coconut oil
the cream from one can of coconut milk (Just the solids)
1/3 c water
juice from 3 limes
zest from 2 limes
1/2 coconut nectar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger

For the crust: 
10 medjool dates
1 1/2 c raw pecans
1/2 c unsweetened, desiccated coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ginger

Method: start by lining your springform pan with parchment.  Believe me, you don't want to skip this step, because it might be kind of hard to get your finished cheesecake out of the pan without this.  I brushed then bottom with coconut oil.  You can buy parchment rounds, somewhere, but they are kind of akin to unicorns.  I... hardly ever go into specialty baking stores, because there aren't any good ones, nearby.  If you are like me, and buy parchment at the regular, normal store, where normal people go, follow this little step.  Fold your parchment in half, then again,  then again, and then one more time.  You should have something that resembles the photo, below.  Aim the corner at the middle of your inverted springform pan.  I usually just feel for the edge of the pan, and make a small crease with my fingernail to get the right idea of where to cut.  Never any problems doing this, but you can also just use a pencil as a guide; just, if you do this, be sure to place the marked side down, against the bottom of the pan.

See?  Perfect, every time, I swear.

Now, start making your crust.  Add your dates and pecans, and blitz away.

Once you have that pared down to sand crumbles, add your desiccated coconut, and ginger.  Blitz a bit more, until you have something that will hold together when you pinch it.

Don't forget the salt!

Now, pour it into your pan, and press it down, into place.

Next, take your soaked cashews and 1/3 c water, and blitz that for a bit. 

Vanilla goes here.

Once you see it form very small pieces, add your coconut cream, lime juice, ginger, and salt.  Blitz, again.Now, add your coconut nectar, and coconut oil last, to ensure it doesn't begin solidifying while you are blending the other items.  Now, give it a blitz that goes on for a little while.  You want this to be very smooth.  It may still be very slightly grainy, but nothing beyond very slightly grainy.

Add your zest, at the very last, and give it one tiny blitz, more.  You want to do this, to ensure you don't cause the mixture to become bitter from over-processing the zest.

 Now, pour your mixture into your pan, onto the crust.  Give it a few good thuds on the table, and throw on the last of your lime zest, so you have a good idea of what's going on in there.  Cover the springform with cling, and freeze overnight, or at least 4 hours.

I added a few flakes of fleur de sel to the top, for a little added interest, when I pulled it out of the freezer.  Do not do this before you freeze it or, you might end up with holes in your cheesecake.

I was a tiny bit worried about how the final product would hold up, but it did just fine.  No need for agar-agar, which I had thought of as insurance.

I hope you give this one a whirl, and enjoy it as much as we are!

-H