Raw Fig Cheesecake

A few weeks ago a friend and follower of our blog posted this raw cake recipe on my Facebook wall, encouraged me to test it and report back.

Of course I loved this challenge…

Last week, with a few adjustments of my own, I created this dessert as you would have seen if you follow me on instagram or our Facebook page. As well as being delicious (and not lasting long) it reminded me of the other raw cakes that I have made in the past and gave me an idea…

Well truthfully, it gave me a few ideas like how maybe my next eBook volume should be desserts-focused?

The other idea though (and point of this post) was to share with you my favourite raw cakes from around the online community – so hard to choose!

So what is a raw cake and how on Earth does it work you ask?

It is as the name suggests, raw, in so much as you do not bake or cook the cake or its’ ingredients. Generally speaking you will find a mixture of nuts, fruit and oil as base ingredients and sometimes additional sweeteners and/or dairy products too. Some recipes call for preparation of certain ingredients though there is no actual cooking to be done.

How do the cakes stay together? In 2 ways – firstly via the inclusion of a sticky ingredient i.e. dates and secondly via keeping the cake frozen. Most recipes I have seen (and tried) require you to make the base and set it in the freezer before adding the other layer(s) and freezing the whole creation.

Raw cakes have popped up on health blogs, cooking blogs, TV shows and even cafe menus as a better alternative to traditional baked cakes.

{Warning here is the party-pooper section}…..

Although containing delicious whole foods, the high concentration of these foods in one recipe also means a high (natural) sugar & fat quotient and a high calorie load. Raw cakes should therefore be seen as a treat and a sometimes-food.

In saying that, they are most certainly a great way to enjoy a little sweet tooth time and if you haven’t eaten a raw cake before, or even if you have and weren’t convinced, these recipes are worth trying out.

The recipe I mentioned above is a Raw Vegan Fig, Blueberry & Coconut Cream cheesecake and was created by Katherine Sabbath and featured on Frankie. You can find the recipe here as well.

My cooking notes:

• as I am not a vegan, I used Greek yoghurt in place of Coyo
• instead of soaking the cashews in coconut cream, I soaked overnight in water only – lowering the fat and calorie load – besides the recipe has coconut flakes + coconut oil so I felt that was sufficient
• it was a sublime and not-too-sweet option that didn’t even last the week in our house!

Similar to that recipe is this one (complete with gorgeous photography) from the blog Oh, Ladycakes of which I made for the Christmas just passed. As neither Mum or my sister like too-sweet things, this was a good option for them as it is more neutral in flavour.

My cooking notes:

• I used dates not figs as the quality of them at the time was so poor
• as it was a last-minute menu addition I did not make raw nut milk and instead used a high quality almond milk
• I did not use the beet juice (and kind of wish I had for the colour!)
• the ingredients started to add up and it was certainly not the cheapest recipe

Ascension Kitchen’s Raw Cake

The initial plan for Christmas was this recipe from the lovely Lauren at Ascension Kitchen however I did not get around to trying it (yet)! The ingredients list was a little daunting for me at Christmas time….

Another brilliant raw cake recipe that I have tried is this one from Sarah Wilson’s IQS website – a Raw Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake. I took this along to Christmas with Tippy’s family and despite their skepticism (and odd looks), they loved it!

My cooking notes:

• again I replaced a coconut option (in this case milk) with almond milk as I felt it was coconut overload
• this many nuts can be a little expensive

This recipe from the gorgeous blog My New Roots is delicious, simple and with a not-too-long ingredient list.

No notes – just enjoy this one!

Last but not least is this recipe and my favourite raw cake (to date)! Having made it several times and for a few people’s birthdays, it always goes down a treat! My mum says this is a little too sweet for her liking though my sister who loves traditional cheesecake thought this one rocked! The Frozen Pink Cheesecake in all its’ glory from my favourite people at Green Kitchen Stories.

My cooking notes:

• this simple recipe calls for only a few ingredients and I love that!
• I used Greek yoghurt and raw honey

Frozen Pink Heaven from Green Kitchen Stories

Get un-baking!

Nadia xx