Today is National Cherry Cheesecake Day! So I topped these delicious Mini Raw Vanilla Bean Cashew Cheesecakes with Cherries!
Mini Raw Vanilla Bean Cashew Cheesecakes
Makes 8 mini cheesecakes, standard cupcake size
Crust
1/2c raw pecans, or walnuts
1/2 c Deglet Noor Dates (approx. 5)
1/4 c raw flaked coconut
Filling
1 3/4 c raw cashew, soaked and drained
1/3 c agave nectar
1/3 c extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP water
3 teaspoons vanilla extract or 2 vanilla beans, scraped
Cherry Topping:
2c frozen tart dark pitted cherries
Agave, Stevia, or sweetener of choice- optional
Begin by submerging the the cashews in a covered bowl of cold water and letting them soak overnight. After the nuts have soaked, rinse and drain right before making cake.
To make the crust place dates, pecans, coconut, and cocoa powder in a food processor. Process until it holds together when you press it between two of your fingers. Lightly grease a silicon cupcake pan, with coconut oil. Press the crust evenly into the bottom of the cupcake molds, don’t go up the sides.
Place cashews, coconut oil, agave, lemon juice, vanilla, and 2TBSP water into a Vitamix or food processor, and blend well (until completely smooth). Blend a little more, just to be safe. I used a standard blender for the first raw cheesecake I made but with a smaller amount for this one it wasn’t enough to keep it going so you will need to use a food processor or Vitamix. If making a bigger batch (double for a full 8″ cheesecake) a blender works best and will make it the creamiest.
Divide the batter among the tins.
Freeze for 4 hours, or overnight. Keep frozen until 20-30 minutes before serving them. Remove cheesecake from molds and set on a plate for 20-30 minutes to thaw before serving.
These cheesecakes are delicious without toppings but can be topped with anything you desire! To top with cherry topping as shown I took 2 cups of frozen tart dark pitted cherries and removed 8 cherries (1 for each cheesecake) and put the remaining cherries in a small food processor and pulsed to make a sauce. These are tart cherries if you would like add sweetener of choice until desired sweetness level is reached. I like tart cherries so only added less than a tablespoon of raw agave. Pulse after adding sweetener and then spoon sauce over cheesecake, top with cherry, and enjoy!
