If they asked me, I could write a book...about how awesome this Cheezecake is.
I'd most likely sing about it too.
Originally this was a part of my Thanksgiving dessert menu. I made it on a whim without any recipe, and at the first taste I knew I was on to something amazing. Let me preface this with the fact that I rarely eat chocolate, but when I do it's usually white -- which is hard to find as a vegan product, so naturally I don't each chocolate very often these days. But I do have a very discriminating palate, and I wasn't going to settle for an "average" cheezecake. Just to prove this, the following is quote from my awesome taste-tester (and friend), Rachel of
One Pretty Thing:
"Holy crap, you nailed the white chocolate! This is awesome!!"
Making this recipe was a true labor of love, and I'm so happy to be able to finally share it as a Holiday gift from me to all of you.
Important Notes About this Recipe
About the Agave:
Something I don't use very often in my kitchen is Agave, but where this specific Cheezecake is concerned you absolutely positively need to use it. I recommend
Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Blue Agave. I've actually taken the time to contact
Wholesome Sweeteners, inquiring to whether or not their product is truly raw. They were gracious enough to respond to my email, confirming that they do not heat their Organic Raw Blue Agave above 118 degrees.
If you'd rather not use Agave then see the recipe for my other liquid sweetener suggestions.
About the Cashews:
You're going to need to soak 2 cups of Cashews - which will amount to 2.5 cups total soaked Cashews. Some of the Cashews will be going into your blackberry mixture, and the rest will go into your Cheezecake. Other than soaking Cashews you don't have a whole lot of beforehand prep to worry about.
Raw Vegan White Chocolate Cheezecake with Blackberry Marble
I've noted the entire process of making this Cheezecake in the following steps, I recommend making it in the same order as I've noted for a streamlined process, of course if you would rather use blueberries or even strawberries then go for it!
This makes enough for one large, 8'' or 9'' Cheezecake.
In the following steps you'll see that I've sized it down to five 4.5'' cheezecakes, the perfect size for a 2 person edible gift.
Step 1.
The Crust
In your Processor grind up the following:
1 c Pecans
1 c Almonds
Add to your ground nuts:
2 heaping Tbsp
Date Paste //or// 3 Dates soaked in warm water until very soft, and pits removed
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
2 pinches Salt
Pulse/Grind together until the date paste is evenly distributed and you have a lumped up ball of crust.
Assemble your Crust(s):
Into a springform pan transfer your crust and press down with your fingers until the crust evenly covers the bottom and sides of the pan.
If you're making mini-cheezecakes (like I was when I made this recipe) then proceed to line 5 to 6 small ramekins with either parchment paper or plastic wrap. Evenly distribute your crust into each ramekin, and press down until the crust lines the bottom and sides of your ramekin:
Now that your crust is ready you can move on..
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Step 2.
Blackberry Sauce - for Marbling
In a food Processor combine the following ingredients:
1 c Blackberries (or other sweet berry of choice)
1/2 c soaked Cashews (see About Recipe Portion for info on Cashews)
4 Tbsp Agave//or//Grade B Maple Syrup//or//Raw Organic Honey
Puree for ONE minute, until thick and creamy!
Transfer your Blackberry puree into a small bowl and set aside.
Don't place it in the fridge as it will thicken and won't marble as well - move in to the next step to finish your amazing cheezecake!
You may have more Blackberry sauce than you need or want to use in the Cheezecake. Stick it in your freezer for another time, or mix it into a smoothie!
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Step 3.
Making your White Chocolate Cheezecake batter and Assembling Everything
Into your food processor combine the following:
1 c Macadamia Nuts
Grind your Mac nuts to a paste...
Add to your ground Macadamia nuts, into your food processor:
2 c soaked Cashews
1.5 c peeled/shredded Zucchini
1/2 c Agave//or//Grade B Maple Syrup//or//Raw Organic Honey
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
Puree everything together for 3 minutes...
Now for the MOST important part.
Leave everything in your food processor... and proceed to melt some Cacao Butter:
This recipe calls for:
1/4 c plus 3 Tbsp MELTED Cacao Butter
I can't tell you exactly how much that is in ounces, but a big chunk of Cacao Butter should do just fine. If you over-shoot just let your melted Cacao butter sit until it's cooled and become solid again. Place it in an air tight container and use it another time.
Melt it on a very verrrrry low heat...
Measure out:
1/4 c plus 3 Tbsp of melted cacao butter
Add it to your Food Processor
Puree for 2 more Minutes:
All Done!
Nothing left to do from here aside from assembling...
Remember those crusts from Step 1?
Fill them up with White chocolate Cheezecake batter:
Dollop in a couple spoonfuls of the Blackberry/Cashew Puree from Step 2.
Use a butter-knife to swirl it around (I'm really not the best at marbling)
Cover it up and place it in the freezer to speed up the "setting" process. Let it sit in the freezer for a couple of hours.
If you'd rather let it "set" in your fridge then I recommend leaving it for at least 4 hours if not longer.
If you're making mini-cheezecakes using ramekins like I did, then this is what it'll look like after it's finished "setting":
Texture? Check.
Flavor? Check.
Seconds? Double check.
Happy Holidays, and Happy weekend too!
xoxo,
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