Raw Lemon-Strawberry Cheesecake Slices
Yield: One 8x8 pan, 16 bars · Active: 30 min · Total: 5–6 hours, mostly freezing · Best eaten: midday or early afternoon
Best in late spring and early summer, when strawberries peak in most of North America (winter into spring in Florida and Southern California; frozen strawberries work year-round, and lemons are at their juiciest in winter)
A bright, tangy lemon layer topped with a sweet pink strawberry layer, on a buttery cashew-macadamia-coconut crust.
Cashew-macadamia crust
1 cup cashews
1½ cups macadamia nuts
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
10 pitted Medjool dates
2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Coconut oil, for greasing the pan
Lemon layer
2 cups cashews, soaked at least 2 hours, then drained
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
⅓ cup raw honey or maple syrup, to taste
⅓ cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla powder (or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract)
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Strawberry layer
½ cup cashews, soaked and drained
2 cups strawberries, hulled, fresh or frozen (thawed and drained)
½ cup pitted Medjool dates
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
⅛ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
1–2 tbsp water, only if needed to blend (juicy strawberries usually don't need any)
To garnish: fresh sliced strawberries, lemon zest, and edible flowers or fresh mint
Method
Make the crust. Pulse the cashews and macadamias to a fine crumb, then add the coconut, dates, honey, and salt and process until it holds together when pressed. Press it firmly into the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan lined with parchment, leaving some hanging over two sides so you can lift the bars out later. Freeze 20 minutes.
Make the lemon layer. Blend everything until completely silky, 1–2 minutes. Taste and adjust the honey and lemon. Pour it over the crust, tap the pan to release air bubbles, smooth the top, and freeze 2–3 hours, until firm.
Make the strawberry layer. Blend everything except the coconut oil until smooth, adding water only if needed, then blend in the coconut oil. Pour it over the set lemon layer and freeze 2–3 hours more, until firm.
Slice and serve. Lift the slab out by the parchment and cut it into 16 bars with a hot, dry knife (dip it in hot water and wipe it dry between cuts), and let the bars sit 15–20 minutes. Garnish with sliced strawberries, lemon zest, and edible flowers or mint just 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 these bars is heated.
Storage: Frozen in an airtight container, with parchment between the layers, up to 1 month; refrigerated up to 5 days. Add the garnishes just before serving.
Nourishment Notes: Strawberries bring vitamin C (a single cup provides about a full day's worth), plus folate, manganese, ellagic acid, and anthocyanins, the pigments behind their red color. Lemon and its zest offer vitamin C and d-limonene, concentrated in the peel. Macadamias bring monounsaturated fats, including palmitoleic acid (an omega-7 fat). Cashews offer magnesium, copper, and zinc. Coconut brings lauric acid and fiber. Medjool dates offer potassium and natural sweetness. Raw honey keeps its enzymes in this no-bake recipe (avoid it for babies under 12 months).
As a circadian treat, these bars 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)
Macadamias — organic, from Hawaii or Australia, kept in the fridge
Shredded coconut — organic, unsweetened, and sulfite-free
Medjool dates — organic, soft, and plump
Strawberries — organic, fresh from a farmers' market in season or frozen year-round (conventional strawberries carry some of the highest pesticide residues of any fruit)
Lemons — organic (you're using the zest)
Raw honey or maple syrup — organic, local, and unfiltered raw honey, or organic Grade A dark maple syrup
Coconut oil — organic, virgin, and unrefined
Vanilla powder — organic, made from just ground vanilla beans (or organic pure vanilla extract)
Edible flowers and mint — organic and pesticide-free (never from florists)
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall