Today I’m thrilled to share this wonderful Raw Lemon Cheesecake recipe from Genevieve of Mama Natural!
Enter Genevieve…
When Tiffany mentioned she was looking for guest bloggers while she was busy with newborn, I jumped at the chance. Not only do I love her blog and think Tiffany is FABULOUS, I’m also expecting a child in November and loved the idea of helping out a fellow mama! MAMAS UNITE 🙂
OK, so when I started brainstorming recipes for her blog, I knew I had to include coconut…. I mean she *is* the coconut mama after all. But also, coconut is a wonderful nourishing food. It boosts metabolism, memory, mood and let’s face it… it’s delicious!
Next, I’ve been craving lemon and wanted to create a cool, tasty summer treat that required no baking. The results are a Raw Lemon Cheesecake that’s dairy free for those on restricted diets; and because it’s raw, it’s also easier to digest for most people.
PrintRaw Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients
Lemon cheese
- 3 1/2 c. cashews
- 8 TB organic virgin coconut oil
- 3/4 c. raw honey
- 3/4 c. organic lemon juice
- Zest of 2 organic lemons
- 1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 10 drops stevia (optional)
- 10 drops natural food coloring (optional)
Crust
- 1 c. organic almonds
- 1 c. coconut-rolled dates
- Coconut oil for oiling pan
Instructions
- Take your cashews and put in bowl. Cover with several inches of cool, filtered water. You can add 1 tsp of sea salt, which helps to breakdown anti-nutrients. Let soak overnight. I usually store in refrigerator in the summer due to my warm house. If time is an issue, just soak in filtered water for 1-2 hours.
- Next, take your almonds and coconut-rolled dates and blend in food processor till the mixture starts to clump together. If you don’t access to coconut-rolled dates, just use regular dates and add a few tablespoons of dried, unsweetened coconut.
- Put your crust mixture into an oiled pie pan, preferably a round spring foam pan like this. Pat your crust down so it’s tightly packed and evenly distributed, creating a nice foundation for your cheese.
- Next, drain your cashews and put in a food processor or powerful blender. Add your 8 tablespoons of liquid or softened coconut oil. Then add your honey, lemon juice, lemon rind, vanilla extract, sea salt and blend well. I found I had to blend for a long time to create a smooth, creamy texture and breakdown all the cashews. Taste your “cheese” and add stevia and/or natural food coloring to suit your needs. Both are totally optional.
- Carefully pour or scoop your cheese into your pan, on top of your crust. Use a spatula to smooth out the top so cheese is evenly distributed and looks pretty :). You can dust the top of cake with dried coconut flakes or lemon slices.
- Put in refrigerator and let set for about an hour or two. Serve immediately. You can store leftovers in fridge for 1 week or cut individual pieces and store in freezer. This cake tastes delicious frozen too!
Raw Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients, Lemon Cheese:
- 3 1/2 c. cashews
- 8 TB organic coconut oil
- 3/4 c. raw honey
- 3/4 c. organic lemon juice
- Zest of 2 organic lemons
- 1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 10 drops stevia (optional)
- 10 drops natural food coloring (optional)
Ingredients, Crust:
- 1 c. organic almonds
- 1 c. coconut rolled Dates
- Coconut oil for oiling pan
Instructions:
- Take your cashews and put in bowl. Cover with several inches of cool, filtered water. You can add 1 tsp of sea salt, which helps to breakdown anti-nutrients. Let soak overnight. I usually store in refrigerator in the summer due to my warm house. If time is an issue, just soak in filtered water for 1-2 hours.
- Next, take your almonds and coconut-rolled dates and blend in food processor till the mixture starts to clump together. If you don’t access to coconut-rolled dates, just use regular dates and add a few tablespoons of dried, unsweetened coconut.
- Put your crust mixture into an oiled pie pan, preferably a round spring foam pan.
- Pat your crust down so it’s tightly packed and evenly distributed, creating a nice foundation for your cheese.
- Next, drain your cashews and put in a food processor or powerful blender. Add your 8 tablespoons of liquid or softened coconut oil. Then add your honey, lemon juice, lemon rind, vanilla extract, sea salt and blend well. I found I had to blend for a long time to create a smooth, creamy texture and breakdown all the cashews. Taste your “cheese” and add stevia and/or natural food coloring to suit your needs. Both are totally optional.
- Carefully pour or scoop your cheese into your pan, on top of your crust. Use a spatula to smooth out the top so cheese is evenly distributed and looks pretty. You can dust the top of cake with dried coconut flakes or lemon slices.
- Put in refrigerator and let set for about an hour or two. Serve immediately. You can store leftovers in fridge for 1 week or cut individual pieces and store in freezer. This cake tastes delicious frozen too!
What are coconut dates?
I don’t have any cashews but I have LOADS of almonds. Can I substitute them for the cashews in the Raw Lemon Cheesecake recipe?
3/4 cup of both honey AND lemon juice for 3 1/2 cups of cashews? Are you certain that isn’t excessive? The quantity of lemon juice particularly seems large. Please let me know before I go looking for enough organic lemons to squeeze out 3/4 cup.
Thanks
Hi. My sistet swears by organic coconut cream. She says it helps her arthritis
Could you please re-post the lemon coconut cake? I have been desperately looking for it.
What is coconut rolled dates? Can I use normal dates?
I don’t have whole almonds, but I do have almond meal. If I were using that for the crust, how much would I use?
Can’t wait to try this this week! Do you think putting the cashews in the blender before the food processor would help them break down better? I do that with almonds for a chocolate truffle recipe but they aren’t soaked in water first..?
what a great idea! thank you for sharing your recipe.
Can you recommend a texture alternative for honey? I have a serious health condition and can’t even have natural sugars. Thank you.
rice malt syrup?
This is really good. Success!
I’ve used similar recipes that uses macadamia nuts instead if you don’t like cashews.
what if you don’t like macadamia or cashews? Is there another nut you would recommend using?
Are the cashews necessary for the “cheese”?
That looks so fresh and tasty, I love lemon 🙂
is there a sub for the nuts…..bad allergies to nuts here.
thanks
The cashews are what give it a cream cheese flavor and consistency. It wouldn’t be raw, but you could just use pastured cream cheese..
Umm can’t do that either….the kids are as bad allergic to dairy as they are nuts….was hoping for a bean or something to sub in.
You could try navy beans.
What about coconut butter?
You could try sunflower seeds if you can tolerate them!
This sounds fantastic and for once, I have all the ingredients already on hand!
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing! What a great idea, Tiffany to have fellow bloggers share on your blog while you are getting ready for baby 🙂
this sound awesome