I always say that I’m not a raw person but that isn’t exactly true. When I’m in SF I’m practically tethered to Cafe Gratitude and one of the best meals I had in LA was at Cru. Brooklyn used to have a hole in the wall (almost literally) restaurant where I would enjoy soggy dehydrated pancakes. Yeah, I said soggy and enjoy in the same breath.
I think I just don’t have the patience for the preparation techniques, like dehydrating and spiral slicing. And while raw is all wonderfully healthy, I’m not positive that cooked spinach is going to kill me, despite the wacky emails I get from time to time. Luckily for us vegans, raw food is almost exclusively free of animal products and so that opens up a whole world of experimentation. I love, for example, using soaked cashews to create creaminess. In fact, many of my favorite vegan desserts have been raw. I’m just not into that vegan cheesecake, loaded with telltale, groan-worthy tofutti and confectioner’s sugar. My favorite cheesecake from Cafe Gratitude contains coconut, dates and Irish Moss. So gather your ingredients and…wait. Irish Moss?
Yeah, so I wanted to make a minimum hassle recipe that was easy enough to create from ingredients you could procure from any health food store. I scoured the internet for hints on how to go about it and I decided on my beloved soaked cashews and coconut oil. The oil is solid at room temperature so ensures that everything stays together. No special equipment needed, this cake came together in a snap. The only prep you need to do is to remember to soak the cashews in advance. Also remember that the cake will need at least 4 hours to set.
The end result was a really, really rich and creamy cake. And you’ll believe me when I say I am not rich-dessert phobic, but the cake really does serve 16. It’s got plenty of strawberry flavor and a little tang from the lime. It needed a little extra strawberry blast at the end, so I threw together a quick strawberry sauce. The crust was modified from the Cafe Gratitude desserts cookbook. I Am Pilfering. To melt your coconut oil place it in a small covered container and place that in a bowl of very hot water. Melt it right before using so that it doesn’t solidify.
Raw Strawberry Cheesecake
Serves 16
Crust
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
Filling
3 cups raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight (or at least 3 hours)
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol free is preferred for raw desserts)
32 oz strawberries (reserve 9 for decorating), hulled and halved – about 4 cups
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Raw Fluffy White Frosting Recipe
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (alcohol free is preferred for raw desserts)
1/4 cup raw coconut oil, melted
Strawberry Coulis (Coulis is a fancy word for pureed sauce)
2 cups chopped strawberries
3 tablespoons agave syrup
Lightly grease a 9 inch spring form pan with coconut oil and set aside.
To prepare the crust, pulse nuts and salt in a food processor fit with a metal blade. When nuts are fine crumbs, add the dates and pulse until the dough holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared cake pan. Set aside.
To prepare the filling, pulse cashews in food processor until crumbly. Add agave, water, lime juice and vanilla and puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything. Feed the strawberries through the top of the food processor and puree until incorporated. The filling should turn a pretty pink. With the processor running, add the melted coconut oil in a steady stream.
Pour the filling into the cake pan. It will look like a smoothie and you’ll think no way it will set, but it will! Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set. Make sure it’s level so that your cake doesn’t come out wonky. Let set for at least 4 hours.
Prepare the frosting in basically the same way as the cake. Pulse the cashews in the food processor until crumbly. Add the water, agave and vanilla and blend until smooth. With the food processor running, stream the coconut oil in through the top until combined. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until set, about 2 hours.
Prepare the sauce when you’re close to serving. Just mash the strawberries up with the agave until it’s all red and syrupy.
To assemble
Release the cake from its springform prison. Use a mini scoop to place 8 mounds of icing around the perimeter of the cake and one in the center. Slice the tops off the reserved strawberries and gently smush them upside down into the frosting mounds. If you don’t have a mini scoop, just use a spoon and make them as pretty as you can, they’re gonna get smushed anyway.
To serve, place some Strawberry Coulis on the plate and serve the cake over it. Dig in!
I’m not vegan but I don’t do dairy, and this is by far one of the best desserts I have ever made in my life. I’ve been feeding it to everyone I know (veg, omni, you name it) and they cannot stop talking about it.
I was a little apprehensive given how many of the comments talked about the cake not setting, so I took the advice of others and completely skipped the water in the filling recipe (and halved what goes into the frosting). It set perfectly! I’m wondering if it has something to do with the moisture already in the soaked cashews and rinsed strawberries?
I could never figure out why some had problems. I’ve made this (and variations) a million times and never had a problem, so it’s difficult to troubleshoot. In any case, happy it worked for you!
It might sound silly, but it could also be one of those cases where organic matters. Non-organic strawberries are gigantic things with less flavor and definitely more water content. Two 32 oz containers, side by side, look vastly different.
P.S. I rediscovered this site after a few years away, and I feel like I severely cheated myself. I’m not vegan (but I’m pretty darn close) and the recipes I’ve made from here in just the past two months have been nothing short of extraordinary. I made this and the roasted butternut alfredo for the fella for Valentines day and dear gods am I winning. Thank you, Isa!
I made a Meyer lemon version as my tree is overloaded, and it was divine. I don’t have a springform pan and didn’t feel like buying one, so lined a pyrex baking dish with parchment paper oiled lightly w/ coconut oil. I then cut the cake in little squares kind of like petit fours, and everyone was wild about it. Couldn’t believe it was vegan, etc. Thanks for all your great recipes!
I made this for an event with vegan guests and it tasted amazing, but mine also failed to hold its shape, even though I completely omitted the water from the recipe. Just curious, are you measuring 4 c of strawberries or using a whole 32 oz box without measuring them? I used 32 oz (minus 9 for decorating) but measured them just out of curiosity, and it was more like 6-7 c rather than 4. I’m wondering if that may account for the issues some folks have been having.
Fallen “cheesecake” notwithstanding, I thought it was delicious and may make it as a pie or in a glass baking dish next time so I don’t have to worry so much about it holding its shape. Thanks for the recipe!
P.S. Based on the texture of the leftovers the next day, I think mine might have held if I’d let it set overnight rather than the five hours that it actually had.
Delicious! One though would be maybe a little more lime? I felt it could have been a little tangier for a cheesecake. The consistency was perfect, after reading the comments about not setting, I actually placed mine in the freezer for the first 2 hours and then moved it to the fridge (it didn’t freeze actually freeze through in that time, probably just helped it firm up faster). The fluffy frosting I was really concerned about after blending it up, it was so soupy! I ended up freezing this for an hour cause I was in a hurry at this point and then putting it back in the fridge. It came out great! Very fluffy! Thank you for this great recipe!
I too experienced an unsuccessful set. Grrrr. It was for my vegan daughter’s birthday. After 5 hours in the fridge and one hour in the freezer, I decided to make parfaits with the smoothie like texture. The taste was great. Next time, no water.
BTW, your instructions don’t mention adding the coconut oil to your filling…
I tried this recipe too, with fresh strawberries and followed every direction. I even let it set in the fridge overnight, but it’s still smoothie textured. Also, the frosting separated overnight! I’ve never gone wrong with a recipe by Isa Chandra before 🙁
Thanks for all your inspiring raw recipes and exquisite photos! Rawmazing is my all-time favorite raw food recipe website.
I had to put mine in the freezer to get it to set. The flavor was nice but for the effort and the cost of ingredients, it wasn’t worth it. The frosting remained a liquid despite leaving it in the fridge for 4 hours. Will continue my hunt for a good raw cheesecake.
Ours came out perfectly, very delicious. next time, though, i am going to leave off the frosting. It’s good in its own right, but we felt it detracted from the cake. We’ll just garnish the top with sliced strawberries. The coulis made with maple syrup was a nice addition. Yum.
I’m going to try this later in the week and I’m worried about it not setting. Had to laugh when I read here that coconut oil was solid at room temperature. Not room temperature in FL in summer! So I think it might be after-dinner dessert, fresh from the fridge, rather than take-it-to-the-picnic dessert. The container says that coconut will solidify at 76 degrees. I’m guessing it’s the oil or the amount of water in the strawberries that is making it unable to properly set.
My daughter will be 3 tomorrow and has chosen this for her birthday cake! Wish me luck! Looks amazing.
I was wondering if there was a feasible alternative to the lime juice? I would love to try this recipe sometime but I had laryngeal reflux so I am trying to cut citrus out of my diet completely.
I made this for Christmas lunch and although the taste was good it completely collapsed when I removed the sides of the springform tin.
I followed the recipe exactly. A bit of a shame really. I had also refrigerated it over night so I don’t know what the problem was.
Where can I get raw cashews from?
I have to wonder if the problem some folks are having with the filling not setting up properly is that they are measuring out 3 cups of whole cashews instead of 3 cups of cashew pieces as the recipe instructs. There’s a significant difference in volume between the two.
My boyfriend is vegan so i often use your site for recipes! This was the first dessert i’ve made that is raw and vegan. It was BANG-A-RANG! Everyone loved it. It was nice and creamy. I added in some blueberries for a nice burst of flavor. It was so nice everyone eating together enjoying a meal. Instead of the usual boyfriend sitting in the corner with nothing to eat!
Thanks!
This is absolutely delicious. I made raspberry, not strawberry. I love that not only is it non dairy, but also non soy. Yum. Thank you, Isa. By the way the new cookbook is well worth the money and then some!
Hi Isa! This looks amazing! I’ve been meaning to ask if you have a food processor you can recommend? I really need to buy a new one and wanted to know if you had any advice 🙂 Thank you!
hi can i omit the strawberries in the filling? thanks
Just popped mine in the fridge ….not sure I can wait four hours – had to lick the bowl out and ….it’s delicious!!!
this is going to be the best Passover cake ever.
Hi! I’m wondering if you have a good substitution for someone allergic to pecans (no walnuts or peanuts for me either). Should I just double the number of almonds or should I pulse roasted cashews with it or something like that? Thanks!
I have lemons not limes… would that work? Looks delicious!
Agave nectar isn’t raw. The process in which it is made is similar to that of high-fructose corn syrup. No matter what the package says, raw agave nectar doesn’t exist.
I made this yesterday…delicious but didn’t set up as promised. Even after 24 hours in the fridge it’s still too soft to hold its shape. (Same with the frosting.)
Any suggestions??
THANK YOU ! Its in the refrigerator . I had blueberries so did this as with them and having it on Thanksgiving!
OMGOSH, Isa! I think you’ve read my mind. I was thinking last night, “I have strawberries. I want cheesecake. I want to make vegan strawberry cheesecake.” I found your blog and there it was: the exact recipe I was looking for. I wonder if I can use coconut milk instead of cashew cream? I love the taste of coconut. How would I make coconut milk as thick as cashew cream? Also, you’re amazing! Thank you for sharing your talent and passion to the world!
Omitted water and still did not set, but the soupy mess I ended up with was delicious anyhow.
Thanks for this recipe, I’ve made it many, many times and everyone everyone is always thrilled when they eat it! Vegans or not they all love it!
Out in the mountainous US West we have a lovely wild fruit, the huckleberry. One might compare it to a flavorful blueberry but I would argue that there is no comparison. Please try anything huckleberry when you get a chance.
I recently made this recipe but substituted 2 cups of huckleberries for the strawberries. It was amazing.