I did it! I have finally ventured into this interesting world of the ‘raw’ goodness! Sure, it brushed on my ears or the eyes (when searching for recipes online) but I could not believe my taste buds when I first savoured a beautiful raw vegan dessert. My first bite was very exciting and now I brought in some of my newly found raw confidence into my own kitchen.
Now I have to share my first try at a raw, vegan and gluten-free dessert that is called Raw Nut Coconut Cake – aka – A nutty and coconutty dairy-free, cheesecake-like, no wheat, no egg and NO BAKING dessert! Looks and tastes like cheesecake BUT it’s not cheesecake!
This was too easy! Although I had my doubts this would ever turn out and I had my doubts this would taste good. But the real proof that it was AWESOME is right in my kitchen right now – which is a new batch of nuts getting soaked as I write this – why? To make more. Yes more dessert please!
So maybe you’re not vegan and don’t care for gluten-free much… no problem. I will convince you that this is worth to try. How and Why you ask? This is why:
- simple ingredients: nuts, coconut milk, coconut flakes, dates, raw/brown sugar
- simple prep work: soaking
- simple directions: mix in food processor
- simple finish: put in refrigerator (NO BAKING)
I repeat NO BAKING. This is why it’s a beautiful dessert for the summer. No need to heat up the stove top to heat up things in sauce pans or even to turn the oven on. This is shockingly so simple and indeed delicious and let’s not forget about healthy! Here’s the recipe:
For the base:
3/4 cups of dates
1/2 cup of almonds or almond meal
1/2 cup of coconut flakes
1/2 cup of water (if needed)
For the top:
3 cups of nuts (I used 1 1/2 cups of walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans, 1 cup cashews) (soaked for at least 3 hours or overnight)
3/4 cups of coconut milk
1/4 – 1/2 cup of raw or brown sugar
Directions: Base: Blend the dates and almonds together in a food processor, with water if it’s too dry and doesn’t blend well. Stir in coconut flakes. Press into a medium sized pan or glass (flat bottom) serving bowl.
Top: Blend all the soaked nuts (drained) with the coconut milk and sugar (I liked mine with the 1/2 cup of sugar because the base is really sweet from the dates – it complements the sweetness levels better). Pour over the base, cover and place in the refrigerator until completely set. It’s best served the next day – In fact that’s when it’s the best so do not fall into temptation ;)
GO NUTS! Nuts provide a great source of protein as well yields numerous nutritional and health benefits. Nuts are excellent sources of protein, minerals, healthy mono-unsaturated fats and other nutrients as well they’re good for promoting a healthy cardiovascular system. Consuming nuts has shown to lower the risk of heart disease, lower “LDL” (bad) cholesterol, and aids in reducing body fat and managing body composition. (read more about the nutrition of almonds, walnuts, pecans and cashews found in this recipe)
GO COCO-NUTS! Coconut milk is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Helps to maintain blood sugar, keeps skin and blood vessels flexible and elastic, aids in building strong bones, relaxes muscles and nerves, controls weight, lowers high blood pressure, maintains a healthy immune system. (read more about the nutrition of coconut milk)
So this is the happiness that’s on my plate! Easy, Quick to put together, Delicious and Healthy!
What happiness is on your plate?
(let’s see if you get the Ella’s healthy stamp of approval. LOL ;D)
Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer and Author. Loves healthy food, photography, sunshine and dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters. 
oh man, that looks and sounds delish! perfect for summer! i will definitely have to try this :)
oh wow. Well, i think you may have convinced me to try it, if for no other reason than the fact that I do not have to heat the house up with baking.
Looks, and sounds really good! thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m so making this today! Going to soak my nuts right now, can’t wait to see how it tastes :)
Hi Ella –
I just found this recipe for the Coconut and Nut Cheesecake and want to try making it, except I\’m not sure what you soaked the nuts in? The half cup of water or the coconut milk perhaps? Please can you let me know – the recipe sounds excellent and I don\’t want to mess it up:)
Thank you!
Erica
PS By the way, your website is phenomenal! It\’s the best one I\’ve seen yet when looking for gluten free/vegan recipes.
Hi Erica,
Thanks so much for liking my blog and this recipe ;)
I really appreciate it! ;)
You soak the nuts completely separately. So basically fill up a bowl with all the nuts that add up to the measurement, pour water (ideally filtered) over them to cover and let that sit for at least 3 hours.
It also works great to soak the nights overnight in the fridge.
Essentially you’re ok for them getting soaked for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator (in case you forget and run out of time to make that cake).
Basically you’re after softer nuts AND to actually remove a slight natural toxin that’s in all nuts and seeds called phytic acid! Also soaking allows them to get digested better. (and for this recipe, they become a soft texture that will blend well to make a smooth texture. So double bonus! ;)
(ps. all nuts should be soaked before eating! #interestingfact ;)
Anyway, back to the recipe.
Once they soak, drain them by flipping them onto a colander, they can sit for a few minutes like this as you gather up the other ingredients.
Then follow the recipe as it is with the nuts being drained.
Please note you’re mixing two nutty recipes.
Do the “base” first, then scoop it out and press into a lined pan and set aside.
Rinse off your food processor and make your ‘top’ mixture.
Another note I want to add is that with more experience of doing this, place the entire pan in the freezer once it’s fileld for a couple of hours to set better.
Then return back to the fridge about 1 hour or two before serving.
This is a lot of writing but it’s really very easy! ;)
It will be delicious too ;)
Let me know how it goes ;)
Best,
Ella