The Raw Truth (Raw Vegan White Peach Cheesecake)

About two weeks ago, we held a small party with family and friends, celebrating the 10,000th pageview of our blog (we should hit 11k, today). Our good friend Jules, who we hardly ever get to see outside chance encounters at the Grower's Market, would be in attendance and she happens to be vegan. To make her feel welcome, I wanted to ensure more items were vegan than not, because it's awful to be at a party and be unable to eat anything. For the glorious finale, that meant a raw, vegan cheesecake.

Less cooking, more awesome

The "raw, vegan" part probably puts some people off initially and, with no cheese, I suppose it's technically not even a cheesecake. Even so, it's amazingly delicious. In fact, I've done the math and this raw, vegan cheesecake has fewer calories, cheaper ingredients, and is faster and easier to make than its standard counterpart. As a special summertime bonus, there's no cooking required whatsoever. That certainly sounds like it's worth a try, no?

Try me

I prepared our raw vegan cheesecake with some trepidation and some mishap. Be sure to use a blender when making the luxurious, agave-sweetened filling, as the amount of fluids puts it well above the maximum liquid level of most food processors. The unfortunate result of boldly persisting in light of this fact is said liquid quickly overflowing, flooding the central chamber, and leaking all over your kitchen. Raw agave syrup is really quite sticky when scrubbing it off one's floors. Not that I know from experience.

Contemplating their grisly fate

Even so, once I presented my experiment, it was a hit. I didn't even try to conceal that it was a raw vegan cheesecake from our guests, as that didn't seem fair, but subsequent blind taste tests confirm the difference seems nigh on undetectable. Silky smooth coconut-cashew cream forms a filling as richly decadent as any cheese and the crust is delicately crisp and sweetly salty. Punched up with the fruit, juice, or chocolate of your choice, it melts in the mouth in a cool and subtle symphony of flavor. How can it be at once so voluptuously satisfying and so refreshingly light upon the palate? Magic, I suppose.

Magical

Raw vegan white peach cheesecake
Adapted from the Raw Chef, by way of Delicioasa

Coconut oil is exceptionally rich in saturated fat, resulting in a hard, waxy solid at room temperature. To soften, rest the jar in a bowlful of hot water for several minutes, until about 1/2 the oil has transitioned into a clear liquid, then mash the liquid and solid phases back together with a fork to form a thick, buttery cream.

For the crust:

2 c unsalted cashews
4 tbs raw agave syrup
1/2 c coconut oil
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
4 tsp lemon juice

For the filling:

3 c unsalted cashews, soaked in fresh, cool water for 2 hours
1 c coconut oil
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
2 tbs pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 c raw agave syrup
1 1/2 c white peach puree (about 4 peaches)
1/2 c raspberries + 1 tsp fresh lime zest (garnish)

Use a food processor fitted with the standard blade attachment to pulse the 2 cups of dry cashews into a coarse flour.

Add the remaining crust ingredients and pulse a few more times until the mixture is wet and incorporated, but still retains some texture. You don't want to process it to cashew butter.

Textural

Scoop the crust mixture into the bottom of a lightly oiled 9″ springform pan with a rubber spatula and press down firmly to form a dense, even crust across the bottom of the pan. Chill as you prepare the filling.

Fun with fluids

Add all of the filling ingredients to a large blender and puree until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Smooth as silk

Pour the filling into the prepared pan and place in the freezer until completely set, with no wiggle at the center, about 1 hour. Transfer to a refrigerator and chill overnight.

Rock solid

Serve cold, garnished with raspberries and fresh lime zest.

Cheers!