Vegan Plum Cheesecake

With the right ingredients (and a little guidance) you can make desserts that taste like they’re made with sugar but instead of throwing your body out of balance they provide nutrients.  You get sweet satisfaction and good health.

I found some local organic plums at the farmers market yesterday.  This week  I wanted a dessert which was sweet and cream so I created this Plum Cheesecake.  The tartness of the plums pairs nicely with the sweet crust of hazelnuts and cacao.  It is gluten free, dairy free and raw.

I served it at a dinner party I had last night for some of my favorite women friends.  Everyone loved it and wanted to take some home but it was so good, we ate it all.

Since cashews are high in phytic acid it is helpful to soak your raw cashews before eating them.

Vegan Plum “Cheesecake”

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Paleo

6-8 servings

Crust:

½ cup almonds
½ cup hazelnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
1 ¼ cup pitted dates, chopped
2 Tb raw cacao

Filling:

1 cup cashews, soaked 4 hours or overnight
4 cups organic ripe plums, coarsely chopped plus 1 or 2 more for decorating
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup coconut oil, gently melted
1 cup full fat coconut milk
¼ cup maple syrup (optional)
12 drops liquid stevia (more or less to taste)*

• To make the crust, pulse the almonds and hazelnuts until they are a coarse meal.
• Add the coconut, dates and cacao.
• Press the crust into the bottom and sides of an 8” spring form pan.  I didn’t have a spring form pan so I used a 9” pie plate and lined it with plastic wrap overhang the edges. Once the cake is chilled I picked it out of the pie plate and removed the plastic to serve.  Place it into the refrigerator.
• Rinse and drain the cashews. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until it becomes a smooth, rich cream.
• Pour the filling into the prepared crust and place in the refrigerator.
• Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.
• When ready to serve remove sides of the spring form pan.
• Decorate with thinly sliced plums.

This “cheesecake” will last only 2-3 days in the refrigerator as it is made with fresh fruits.

 

*Adjust the sweetness to taste.  You will need more or less depending on the sweetness of the plums.