Raw Cashew Cheesecake Foundation, with Four Seasonal Variations
A creamy, tangy, no-bake cashew cheesecake on a chewy almond-date crust, plus four ways to dress it for the seasons: Apricot-Honey in spring, Mango-Passionfruit in summer, Persimmon-Spice in fall, and Blood Orange in winter. Master the base once, then let the fruit change with the year.
Yield: One 8-inch cheesecake, 10–12 slices · Active: 30 min · Total: 5–6 hours, mostly setting (overnight is easiest) · Year-round, with seasonal variations below · Best eaten: midday or early afternoon
The Foundation
Ingredients
Almond-date crust
1½ cups almonds
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Cheesecake filling
2½ cups cashews, soaked 4–6 hours (or 1 hour in hot water), then drained
½ cup full-fat coconut cream (with no guar gum)
⅓–½ cup raw honey (or maple syrup), to taste
½ cup melted coconut oil (or cacao butter, for a firmer set and less coconut flavor)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (this gives the filling its cheesecake tang)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Method
Make the crust. Pulse the almonds in a food processor to a fine crumb, then add the dates, coconut oil, and salt and process until the mixture sticks together when pressed. Press it firmly into the bottom of a greased, parchment-lined 8-inch springform pan. Freeze while you make the filling.
Make the filling. Blend all the filling ingredients in a high-speed blender until completely smooth and silky, 1–2 minutes. Taste and adjust the honey and lemon.
Fill and set. Pour the filling over the crust, tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles, and smooth the top. Freeze 4–6 hours, until firm, then add your seasonal topping.
Serve. Unmold, slice with a hot, dry knife, and let the slices sit 15–20 minutes before serving.
A note on "raw": Every cashew sold has been heat-treated to remove the caustic oil in its shell, even when labeled "raw," so "raw" here means no-bake. The raw honey stays truly raw, since nothing in this cheesecake is heated (the gelatin is warmed only briefly, and the honey is added once it cools). Raw honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months; use maple syrup instead if little ones will be eating it.
Storage: Frozen up to 1 month, or refrigerated up to 5 days. Fresh fruit garnishes are best added just before serving.
Spring: Apricot-Honey
Best from late spring into early summer, when apricots are in season in much of North America
Sweet, floral apricots and honey over a vanilla cheesecake on the classic almond crust. Apricots and almonds are botanical cousins, which is why they taste so good together.
Changes to the foundation
Add ½ tsp pure almond extract to the crust (optional).
Apricot-honey layer
1 cup ripe apricot purée (from about 6–8 apricots, pitted, no need to peel)
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (it also keeps the apricots from browning)
1 tbsp grass-fed gelatin (or 1 tsp agar powder)
To garnish: sliced fresh apricots, toasted sliced almonds, and edible flowers
Bloom the gelatin. Sprinkle the gelatin over the lemon juice plus 2 tbsp water and let it sit 5 minutes. Warm it gently until fully dissolved (don't boil). If using agar, simmer it in ¼ cup water for 2 minutes, stirring.
Mix. Let it cool slightly, then whisk it into the apricot purée and honey.
Pour over the set cheesecake and refrigerate 2–3 hours, until firm.
Garnish with apricot slices, toasted almonds, and edible flowers.
Summer: Mango-Passionfruit
Best when mangoes peak, spring into summer in Mexico, Central America, and South Florida (passion fruit grows year-round in the tropics)
Sweet, lush mango and bright, aromatic passion fruit are one of the most luxurious tropical pairings there is. Here they're set into a glossy, curd-like layer over the creamy cheesecake.
Mango-passionfruit layer
1 cup fresh mango purée (from about 1 large ripe mango)
½ cup passion fruit pulp, with seeds (from about 6–8 passion fruit)
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp grass-fed gelatin (or 1 tsp agar powder)
To garnish: fresh passion fruit pulp, edible flowers, and lime zest
Bloom the gelatin. Sprinkle the gelatin over the lime juice plus 2 tbsp water and let it sit 5 minutes. Warm it gently until fully dissolved (don't boil). If using agar, simmer it in ¼ cup water for 2 minutes, stirring.
Mix. Let it cool slightly, then whisk it into the mango purée, passion fruit pulp, and honey. (Mixing the honey in once the gelatin has cooled keeps it raw.)
Pour over the set cheesecake and refrigerate 2–3 hours, until firm.
Garnish with passion fruit pulp, edible flowers, and lime zest.
Fall: Persimmon-Spice with a Pecan Crust
Best from October through December, during persimmon season
Honey-sweet persimmon blended right into the filling with warm spices, topped with a fan of glossy persimmon slices, on a buttery pecan crust.
Pecan crust (replaces the almond-date crust)
1½ cups pecans
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Persimmon-spice filling
Blend 1 cup ripe persimmon pulp into the foundation filling, along with 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, and a pinch of nutmeg. Reduce the coconut cream to ¼ cup.
To garnish
2 Fuyu persimmons, very thinly sliced
1 tbsp raw honey, for brushing
Toasted pecans and pomegranate arils
Method: Make the crust and filling as in the foundation, then pour and set. Just before serving, fan the persimmon slices over the top in overlapping circles, brush them with honey, and scatter with pecans and pomegranate.
Choosing persimmons: For the filling, use very soft, jelly-like Hachiya persimmons (acorn-shaped), or ripe Fuyu persimmons (squat and tomato-shaped) blended smooth. Hachiyas are mouth-puckeringly astringent until they're completely soft. For the sliced topping, use firm-ripe Fuyus, which are sweet even when crisp.
Winter: Blood Orange with a Pistachio-Almond Crust
Best from December through March, when blood oranges are in season in California, Texas, and the Mediterranean
A jewel-toned blood orange gelée over a vanilla cheesecake bright with orange zest, on a vivid green pistachio-almond crust. One of the most beautiful desserts of winter.
Pistachio-almond crust (replaces the almond-date crust)
1 cup pistachios
½ cup almonds
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Changes to the foundation filling
Blend in the zest of 2 blood oranges.
Blood orange gelée
1 cup fresh blood orange juice (from about 4–5 blood oranges)
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp grass-fed gelatin (or 1 tsp agar powder)
To garnish: blood orange slices or segments, chopped pistachios, and edible flowers
Bloom the gelatin. Sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup of the juice and let it sit 5 minutes. Warm it gently until fully dissolved (don't boil). If using agar, simmer it with ¼ cup of the juice for 2 minutes, stirring.
Mix. Let it cool slightly, then whisk it into the remaining juice and honey.
Pour over the set cheesecake and refrigerate 2–3 hours, until firm.
Garnish with blood orange slices, pistachios, and edible flowers.
About blood oranges: Their ruby color comes from anthocyanins, the same pigments found in berries, which are rare in citrus. Moro oranges are the deepest red, while Tarocco and Sanguinello are sweeter and more delicately blushed.
Nourishment Notes
Cashews — magnesium, copper, and zinc.
Almonds, pecans, and pistachios — vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, and monounsaturated fats, plus vitamin B6 and lutein from the pistachios.
Medjool dates — potassium and fiber, with natural sweetness.
Coconut cream and oil — lauric acid, a medium-chain fat.
Raw honey — enzymes and trace minerals, kept intact in the no-bake filling.
Apricots — beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber.
Mango — beta-carotene, vitamin C, and folate.
Passion fruit — vitamin C, fiber, and piceatannol, a polyphenol.
Persimmons — beta-carotene, vitamin C, manganese, and fiber.
Blood oranges — vitamin C, folate, and anthocyanins.
Warming spices — cinnamon's polyphenols help moderate blood sugar, and ginger is traditionally used to support digestion.
Grass-fed gelatin — glycine and proline.
As a circadian treat, these cheesecakes land best at midday or in the early afternoon, when your body handles sweets most gracefully in daylight.
Sourcing
Cashews — organic (every cashew sold has been heat-treated, even "raw" ones)
Almonds — organic. U.S. almonds are pasteurized by law, even when labeled "raw"; for truly raw almonds, choose organic, unpasteurized Spanish almonds, like Terrasoul's
Pecans — organic, from a U.S. Southern orchard when you can, kept in the fridge
Pistachios — organic; Sicilian Bronte or California
Medjool dates — organic, soft, and plump
Coconut cream and coconut oil — organic, full-fat coconut cream with just coconut and water, with no guar gum (Native Forest Simple comes in BPA-free cans); organic, virgin, unrefined coconut oil
Cacao butter (optional) — organic and raw
Raw honey — organic, local, and unfiltered; or organic Grade A dark maple syrup
Apricots — organic and locally grown, from a farmers' market in season
Mangoes and passion fruit — organic, from a local market in tropical regions, or organic imports in season
Persimmons — organic Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons, from a farmers' market or Asian grocer in fall
Blood oranges — organic (you're using the zest), from California, Texas, or Italy in winter
Grass-fed gelatin or agar — gelatin from grass-fed, pasture-raised cattle, or organic agar powder
Edible flowers — organic and pesticide-free (never from florists)
Lemons, limes, and pomegranates — organic
Spices — organic and non-irradiated Ceylon cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
Vanilla and almond extract — organic pure vanilla extract and pure almond extract, with no added sugar
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; fleur de sel de Guérande for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall