*These little Cheesecakes are Raw, Vegan-friendly, gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free, and refreshingly decadent!
One of my all time desserts is this Key Lime Curd Mousse Cake. Actually, it’s a favorite of my Dad’s, as well. I used to make it on occasion and it was always a hit.
Now that I’ve gotten rid or white sugar and white flour, I decided I needed to make a version that didn’t include either but was still a decadent, citrus-y treat.
I will probably come up with a version of this cake that has a baked crust and a whipped cream mousse, but I’ve really been loving raw desserts lately and couldn’t resist making a raw version. Plus, raw desserts are as healthy as a dessert can get. Period.
Who can say no to that?
A few things I love about this dessert:
*Aside from the soaking time needed to soften the cashews, this dessert whips up in no time at all. Actual active prep time is maybe 10 minutes. You do have to let it set up, but waiting for such a healthy, decadent dessert should be a non-issue 😉
*The lime flavor is so pure…cooked desserts containing lime juice tend to dilute the brightness of the juice which is such a shame. Not so with this cheesecake, it shines through in the best, most fresh way.
*Raw desserts seem so much more satisfying to me. I found that each cheesecake could serve up to four people (aside from my dad who needed seconds…and that’s saying something). These little cakes are rich in their own right, despite the lack of dairy, refined sugars, and gluten.
A few notes:
*Be sure to soak your cashews the night before you make these, or at least several hours before. The softer your cashews, the easier it will be to achieve a smooth filling.
*Choose an avocado that is just ripe and bright green in color. The green of the avocado is what will tint the cake a “lime-y” color.
* These do not keep for a long time in the fridge in the sense that after a day the avocado in the filling will start to turn more brown…not appealing! Serve these within one day, if you can. The lime juice in the filling will hold the color at bay for awhile, but better to be safe than sorry.
If you would like to make a “cream” topping to serve on top of the cheesecake, reserve about 1/4 cup of the filling and blend it with 1/4 cup soaked cashews and 1/4 cup coconut cream(the thick cream on the top of a can of coconut milk). Add a little honey or agave to sweeten, blend together until smooth, and spoon on top of the cheesecakes when set.
*a hot, wet knife will give the cleanest cut if you want to slice these into wedges for serving.
- For the Crust:
- 8 dates ( I used Delget Noor)
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Butter
- ⅓ cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut, lightly toasted
- ¾ cup Macadamia Nuts
- pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt
- For the Key Lime Filling:
- 1½ cups Cashews, soaked overnight or for several hours
- ½ ripe Avocado, pitted
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Coconut Butter
- pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt
- ⅓ cup Agave or Raw Honey (non-vegan)
- ⅓ cup Fresh Squeezed Key Lime Juice
- ¼ cup Coconut Milk (preferably canned)
- ½ cup Cool Water
- Fresh Lime Zest
- For the Crust:
- Lightly grease the bottom and sides of two, 4" springform pans.
- Place the dates, coconut butter, coconut, and macadamia nuts in a food processor and process until the mixture comes together to form a crumbly dough. Divide between the prepared pans and press firmly into the bottom of each. Refrigerate.
- For the Filling:
- Place the cashews, avocado, coconut oil, coconut butter, salt, lime juice, honey, coconut milk, and water in a high speed blender. Blend until the mixture is velvety smooth with no lumps (this may take a few minutes).
- Divide the filling between the crust-bottomed pans. Tap on the counter to help level the filling. Grate lime zest over the tops of each cheesecake.
- Chill overnight or for at least 6 hours. Alternatively, you can place the cheesecakes in the freezer and let freeze for 2-3 hours. Remove from the freezer and let sit at room temperature before removing the sides of the pan and serving.
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Cashew cheesecakes are the best! Love the addition of avocado in this one, I imagine it makes it so nice and creamy 🙂