Ahhh, I LOVE spring, waking up hearing the birds singing, and a NEW season for some fresh new baked goods!
I made this recipe because it is my husband's all-time favorite cake I have ever made! So I wanted to surprise him since it’s our fourth Anniversary today (march 21sth, the first day of spring), and I wanted to share it with you too!
I will keep this post sweet, simple, and short so you can slice into this cake as quickly as we can!
Just a note why this Raw Strawberry Cheese Cake is SO amazing, for it will keep you in a high-performance FAT burning, energy-fueling, brain clarity & satisfied state!
HOW?
Because this “Cheese Cake” has no cheese, sugar, gluten, or any other ingredient that robs your body from being bulletproof! Remember CHEESE = HIGH INFLAMMATION, and high inflammation is the opposite of what we are to achieve for optimal health, wellness, and fat loss!
One thing I wanted to touch on is that this raw, 100% dairy-free cheesecake is not only keto & paleo; it is also VEGAN!!! If you have any vegan friends, you can make them this cake to try to slowly convert them into keto ;) haha… Just kidding, but it is worth a try!
First things first, to get you cashew cream silky smooth, I highly recommend soaking your cashews overnight. If you forget this step it is fine, I have used hot water and let the cashews soak for 1 hour, and they worked fine ;) I do recommend a high-speed blender, I find those stir sticks? Or I don't know what they are exactly called, but they help with thicker recipes, like this one.
The KETO Graham crust is actually my favorite parts of this cake ( and it is SUPER easy to make), well, I can't say that because the combination of the strawberry with the graham crumble is so heavenly!
You need just a few ingredients, a dowl, and your hand... And start mixing. This crust is also raw, press the crust down and WALLAH! It is ready for the first layer of cashew cream!
As you can see I have two layers, one plain vanilla, and one big strawberry layer of course. You don't have to do the two layers. The Vanilla layer is a bit denser and heavier due to there being no strawberries. It is up to you:)!
This cake will probably be a tradition in my home; I hope it will be yours too! This strawberry cashew cheesecake is a great way to enjoy cheesecake again "the healthy way" & truthfully, I actually quite like this one more, oh and my husband does too ;) So try it out & ENJOY
RECIPE
PREP FOR CASHEWS
3 cups raw cashews in filtered water overnight (let cashews drain in a strainer before blending)
KETO GRAHAM CRUMBLE CRUST
4tbsp Organika Collagen 2 cup almond meal ½ cup coconut Flour 2 tbsp ground flax ½ cup Lakanto Golden 6 tbsp coconut oil (for dairy-free) or grass-fed butter 1-2 tbsp cold water ½ tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp sea salt
VANILLA & STRAWBERRY LAYERS
3 cups soaked cashews 1 cup full-fat coconut milk ¼ cup coconut oil melted ¾ cup Lakanto Golden 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1tbsp pure vanilla extract 2 tsp salt 1 ½ cups organic strawberries (fresh or frozen)
INSTRUCTIONS
Grease a 6” springform pan with coconut oil and line a 6” cake pan with parchment paper (cut in a circle)
Add almond flour, coconut flour, flax, butter, cinnamon, water, and sea salt to in a regular med bowl if mixing with hands, or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Once crust comes together, consistency should be like cookie dough.
If wanting to Garnish the top with Gram Cracker crumble, take ½ cup and set aside for topping/garnish.
Press the rest of the crust dough evenly along the bottom of the prepared pan.
Place crust in the freezer while preparing the cheesecake filling.
To make the first Vanilla Layer of cheesecake, In a high-powered blender, combine all of the cheesecake (not strawberries) filling ingredients & make sure coconut oil is melted. Blend for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy.
Scrape down the sides as necessary. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk or lemon juice to get it to blend smoothly if your blender isn’t super high-powered.
Once it’s smooth, taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness/tartness levels, if desired.
Pour ½ of the cream cheese filling into the prepared pan over the crust. Smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place in the freezer.
Add the strawberries to the remainder of the cashew cream, blend on high until you see no chunks of strawberries.
Take the cake from the freezer, pour the entire strawberry filling on top. Again, smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
Place in the freezer to set for at least 3 hours or until completely firm.
If storing in the freezer, let it thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving or let thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving
Add extra graham crumble on top!
Before slicing & serving, I recommend running your knife under hot water to warm it up before cutting the cheesecake with the still-hot (dried) knife. Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the freezer (3 months) or refrigerator (5 days)
Andrea Witthoeft
Author