Raspberry Lemon ‘Cheesecake’ (Vegan, Paleo, Gluten free)

This Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake is a creamy sweet dessert for Mom on Mother’s Day that tastes like love itself. It’s a healthy dessert made with cashews and coconut, sweetened with maple syrup.

When my mother was alive she didn’t like store bought gifts that might sit unused collecting dust in her closet.  She always appreciated something my sister and I made.  We did lots of crafts as kids.  That meant we’d make her painted flower pots, personalized aprons or pot holders and always homemade cards.

Now as I think of my mother, I remember all the time we spent together baking.  It was fun to mix up different batters, always tasting as we went along. Once the cookies or cakes came out of the oven we enjoyed our delights with extraordinary pleasure.  I guess baking feels like love to me.

As Mother’s Day approaches I’m inspired to make a cake my whole family will enjoy, especially my daughter-in-law Anna and I, the mothers in the group.  We love healthy desserts that make us feel good.

This cake is unbelievably creamy.  It has a light lemony flavor that’s not too sweet. In fact what I love about it is the balance between sweetness and tanginess.  Add the sweetness of the raspberry sauce and my taste buds are in heaven!

This is a high protein, gluten free dessert you can feel good about sharing with Mom.  It won’t leave you feeling wired or tired.  The ‘cheesecake’ base is made with cashews, lemon, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut oil. There is no baking required and it’s all made in a food processor or blender.  It has a simple almond coconut crust.

I add a tablespoon of raw chopped BEETS to the filling for color. Yes, beets, they give it a beautiful pink color but doesn’t change the flavor.

See so pretty!

I thought about the topping for this cake a few weeks ago as I was contemplating all the berries available in late spring.  I love the delicate sort of floral-rose sweetness of raspberries.  They have a tart undertone that makes their sweetness more subtle than strawberries.

Raspberry Folklore 

In folklore, raspberries are associated with mothers and women.

In Hellenistic Troy, raspberry was linked inextricably to fertility and young children in the story of Ida, nursemaid to the infant Zeus, who pricked her finger while picking the snow-white berries thus staining them red for all eternity.

In the European middle ages, raspberry’s red juice invoked the energy of the blood, which runs from the heart and carries love, nutrition, and kindness through the body.

The raspberry sauce is made while the cake is chilling.  Pour it over the top and let it cool.  When you cut the cake the sweet red sauce oozes deliciously down the sides creating a sublime taste and texture.

Raspberries have the highest amount of fiber of all berries.  The fiber causes their carbohydrates to be released slowly. This prevents sudden increases and decreases in blood-sugar levels, which helps control hunger and cravings. While blueberries have more flavonoids, raspberries are higher in antioxidant vitamins.

This cake is both flavorful and RICH. You only need a small slice but, if you’re like me, it’s so delicious you may want to have 2 slices. Go ahead, it’s a healthy dessert that makes you feel good.  Enjoy every morsel.  The taste is pure love.

Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness.
If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.
~Stevie Wonder

If you like this recipe,  you may also enjoy these other vegan, paleo cheesecake recipes.

Paleo Red Velvet Cheesecake

Mind Blowing Vegan Lime Coconut Cheesecake

Creamy Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake

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Raspberry Lemon ‘Cheese’ Cake

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Dreamy pink dessert with a cheesecake texture and yummy lemony flavor, topped with raspberry sauce. All with healthy, whole food ingredients that make you feel good!

• Author: Ingrid DeHart - EatWellEnjoyLife.com
• Prep Time: 30
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x
• Category: Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Ingredients

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Almond Crust

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted
• 1 ½ tablespoons organic maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, expeller pressed refined, melted
• pinch of Celtic sea salt

Filling

• 1/2 cup (112 grams) coconut oil, expeller pressed refined, melted
• 2 cups cashews, (290 grams), soaked overnight
• 1 tablespoon chopped or shredded beets, peeled
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) coconut cream  or the top, solid part from a can of full-fat coconut milk that’s been refrigerated overnight
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of Celtic sea salt

Raspberry Sauce

• 10 ounces frozen organic raspberries, 2 ¼ cup
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot
• 3 ounces fresh raspberries (optional)

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Instructions

Almond Crust

1. Toast the coconut in a small sauté pan on medium heat, stirring continuously until lightly brown.
2. Mix the toasted coconut with the almond flour, maple syrup, coconut oil and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. Line the bottom of a 7″ springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides with coconut oil.
4. Press the crust onto the bottom.
5. Chill while you make the filling.

Filling

1. Melt coconut oil and set aside.
2. Drain, rinse and dry the cashews on a kitchen towel.
3. Add to a food processor along with the beet. Process until it looks like pink nut butter, scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Add remaining ingredients, EXCEPT THE COCONUT OIL, process until smooth.
5. While the food processor is running, stream in the melted coconut oil.
6. Taste and add more sweetener if desired.
7. Pour over the crust.
8. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until firm. If you’re in a hurry, place the pan in the freezer.
9. In the meantime make the raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the raspberries, maple syrup and lemon juice.
2. Heat the mixture on medium-low to boiling, stirring often. Reduce heat.
3. Simmer 3-4 minutes until the raspberries begin to break down. Stirring regularly.
4. In a small bowl, combine the arrowroot and water. Mix well to dissolve.
5. Pour this into the simmering raspberry mixture. Stir and simmer over medium-low heat for 3 minutes or until the mixture has thickened a bit.
6. Remove the pan from the heat.
7. Let cool for 10 minutes.
8. Spread the raspberry sauce over the top of the cooled cheesecake.
9. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

To Serve

1. Let the ‘cheesecake’ come to room temperature, remove the sides of the pan. Top with fresh raspberries around the edge of the cake.
2. As you slice, the raspberry sauce will ooze deliciously down the sides.
3. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze. Freeze it without the fresh raspberries.
4. If frozen, let it sit out for about 1 ¼ hours to come to room temperature, top with fresh raspberries. Once defrosted it will be perfectly creamy.

Notes

The ‘cheesecake’ needs 4-5 hours to chill.  I recommend making it the day before you’re serving it.

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