No Bake Vegan Layered Blueberry Cheesecake
PROCESS
CRUST
½ cup raw pecans
½ cup almond flour
2 pitted dates
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp kosher salt
CHEESECAKE
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in cold water for at least four hours or preferably overnight
½ cup canned coconut cream, shaken
¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled (use refined coconut oil if you want no coconut flavor)
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
¼ cup freeze-dried blueberries
TOP BLUEBERRY LAYER
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed, if frozen
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp chia seeds
PROCESS
Grease a 6” springform pan with coconut oil, or line an 6” cake pan with strips of parchment paper for easy removal, and grease well with coconut oil. Set aside.
Add the pecans, almond flour, pitted dates, coconut oil, cinnamon and salt to a food processor or high-powered blender and pulverize until it comes together into a sort of sticky dough, with small pecan bits remaining. Don’t over process, or it’ll turn into nut butter! Press the pecan date dough evenly along the bottom of the prepared pan.
In the same food processor or high-powered blender, combine all of the filling ingredients except for the freeze dried blueberries and blend for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as necessary. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk or lemon juice to get it to blend smoothly if your blender isn’t super high-powered.
Once it’s smooth, taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness/tartness levels by adding more maple syrup, vanilla, or lemon juice, if desired.
Pour 2/3 of the filling into the prepared pan over the pecan crust. Smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place in the freezer.
Add the freeze dried blueberries to the remaining batter and blend to incorporate. Spread over the plain layer. Return to the freezer.
Rinse out the blender, and add the fresh blueberries, lemon juice and chia seeds to it. Blend until smooth, and then pour over the other layers.
Place in the freezer to set for at least 3 hours or until completely firm before slicing and serving. I recommend running your knife under hot water to warm it up before cutting the cheesecake with the still-hot (dried) knife.
You can let thaw for about 20 minutes from frozen at room temperature, or for the best texture, transfer to the refrigerator at least an hour before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
