Lemon-Berry Cashew Cream Cake (no dairy, no grains, no refined sugar)

So, I have a kid who doesn’t like chocolate. Apparently that’s a thing.

I honestly didn’t know it was possible, but there she is – a little mini-me who prefers lemons over rich, dark, bitter sweet, creamy chocolatey…. Sorry, where was I?

As an alternative to making chocolate pie, I like to switch things up and make this vegan, grain-free, refined-sugar-free non-cocoa dessert. It tastes just like cheesecake – better, I think! And with only simple whole food ingredients, my guts don’t curdle and hurt afterwards. I honestly contemplated including this recipe under the ‘breakfasts’ category – why not, really?! It’s mainly nuts, fruit and some quality coconut oil. I’d say that’s more nutritious than the average breakfast of milky cereal and toast…?!

BONUS: it’s made entirely in your blender, so no extra spoons and bowls to wash!!! Yessssssss.

Whether you’re a chocoholic or not, try it!

Lemon-Berry Cashew Cream Cake (no dairy, no grains, no refined sugar)

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Prep time

6 mins

Total time

6 mins

This creamy vegan dessert has no grains, no refined sugar and can be made entirely raw, too! When it comes to berries, I don't discriminate - I love them all equally... except raspberries - they're my FAVE! So, use your favourite, or whatever berries are in season. I've made this recipe successfully with strawberries, blueberries, sour cherries, raspberries and all sorts of combinations of those.

Serves: 8 slices

Ingredients

1½ - 2 cups RAW cashews, soaked, rinsed and strained
½ cup coconut oil
¾ cup maple syrup (or if you want a truly raw dessert, sub in raw honey instead)
¼ cup lemon juice, about ½ a lemon (plus lemon zest, optional)
1½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup berries (fresh, or thawed from frozen)
1 or 2 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
Additional 2 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)

Instructions

In a large measuring cup, cover raw cashes with water. Soak for 6 hours or over night.
Strain and rinse cashews and add them to your high speed blender or food processor.
Add coconut oil, maple syrup or honey, lemon juice, salt and vanilla and blend until smooth (it should only take a minute or so).
Have a taste. This will be your lemony base, so if you want it to be more tart, squeeze in some more lemon juice or add some lemon zest.
When you're satisfied with the lemony-ness, pour about ¾ (or more, see next step) of the mixture into a Pyrex pie plate (no need to grease it!).
The remaining mixture will be your berry 'accent'. If you want a subtle berry flavour layered evenly over top of the lemon base, simply add your berries, blend and layer away.
IF, however, you want a more intensely flavoured and decorative berry accent, retain less of the base (keeping a minimal amount in the blender), add berries (plus optional chia seeds and coconut oil) and blend. Add decorative dollops of the berry mixture, swirling, zig-zagging or whatever you think is fun. Or, let the kids try a design!
Give the pie plate a little jiggle to get it all flattened out and place it in the freezer for about 3 hours to set.
Once set, you can transfer to the fridge for quicker serving. If you're serving it straight out of the freezer, let it sit out at room temperature for about 45 minutes or so. Frozen cake is easier for slicing and serving, but sometimes it's nice to let it sit out and soften before serving so that you can truly appreciate the creamy texture... mmmm...
Serve with your favourite fresh berries or some homemade chocolate ganache (If you're into chocolate, that is!)