Gluten free + Vegan Blackberry Cheesecake. A swirly blackberry puree over a cashew cream layer and chocolate crust bottom.
 I’ve heard a rumour that there are actually still paces in the Western world where it still feels like summer right now…at least, it still feels hot outside. Personally, I’m not sure I buy it. We’ve had a steady week or two of mostly cloudy days with spells of rain on and off all day. In those places, these raw blackberry cheesecake slices are the perfect treat to cool you down. If you live in what may as well be the arctic like I do ( I kid, I kid) then this raw blackberry cheesecake are still the perfect treat to brighten your day.
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I think one of the good things about living in a place with where the weather actually changes and the rain almost never stops is that I’m becoming more in tune with seasonal eating. It could have just been that I never bothered to pay too much attention to things like this before, but now I’m more aware of when the seasons change and the plants begin to bare their fruits. While I wouldn’t mind a few more sunny days throughout the week, I love all the growth that comes with the rain. Every new shower brings about a load of new blackberries in the wild blackberry bush out back. I say wild because the bush takes up the entire left side of the garden and even the stairs that lead up to mine and Mike’s room. You can’t walk up those without treading over loose vines and stabbing thorns – I love it.
There’s also a novelty, even pride you get from picking/growing your own food. We’ve done a lot of picking and eating of blackberries this year, but before September ends and the new fall fruits and veggies make their way out I had to make something special with our little harvest to share on the blog with you guys.
With all of Mike’s food intolerances: dairy, gluten, even eggs can sometimes be an issue, I thought making a raw blackberry cheesecake would be the perfect thing. If you’ve never made a vegan cheesecake using soaked cashew nuts before, you need to change that right now. It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. All you need is a decent blender and the ability to wait an hour for everything to set in the fridge. Everything else is a snap.
So while the weather may not be as sunny as you or I might like I hope this raw blackberry cheesecake will help brighten up your day!
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Vegan Blackberry Cheesecake
Gluten free, Vegan Blackberry Cheesecake. A swirly blackberry syrup over a cashew cream layer and chocolate crust bottom.
Ingredients
Chocolate Base
- 1 1/2 cup | 145 grams almond flour
- 3/4 cup | 89 grams cocoa powder
- pinch of sea sea salt
- 1/2 cup | 104 g melted coconut oil
- 3-4 tablespoons | 60-80 grams maple syrup depending on how sweet you want it (or honey if not vegan)
- 1 teaspoon | 5 ml vanilla extract
Cheesecake Layer
- 2 1/2 cups | 360 grams raw cashews (soaked overnight in cold water)
- 1/2 cup | 104 grams melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup | 80 grams maple syrup (or raw honey)
- 1/4 cup | 60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice - about one large lemon
- 2 teaspoons | 10 ml vanilla extract
Blackberry Swirl
- 1/2 cup | 50 grams blackberries
- 1 tablespoons | 15 ml water
- 1 tablespoons | 20 grams maple syrup, (or honey if not vegan)
Instructions
Crust
- Begin making the chocolate crust by whisking together the almond flour, cocoa powder and salt together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the remaining crust ingredients until combined and no lumps remain. The dough will be thick and sticky like a brownie batter. Press the dough into an 8x8 spring form, no stick tin.
Blackberry Sauce
- Place the blackberries, the water, and the sweetener in a small sauce pan on a medium heat for about 8-10 minute. Stir the mixture and mash up the blackberries as the cook and become easy to break down.
- Once cooked, place a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl use the fork to squeeze out the liquid into the bowl. Discard the left over solids. Set aside the puree to cool to room temp and use for later.
Cheesecake Layer
- Draining the water from the cashews if you haven't already and place them in a high speed blender or food processor along with the remaining cheesecake ingredients. Blend it all together until it becomes smooth. If you need, stop and scrap the sides down to get all the bits mixed in. This should take 60-90 seconds. (If you own a Blendtec, I put mine on the smoothie setting and that did the trick)
- Pour the filling over the prepared crust and smooth it out. Carefully drizzle the cooled blackberry puree over the top of the filling and then drag a knife or toothpick across the top to create the rippled effect.
- Cover and place in the freezer for about a couple of hours to firm up and then slice and dive in.
Notes
Keep these pre sliced stored in the freezer and allow to defrost about 5-10 minutes before eating.Â
Amanda says
How many grams in a serving? All I am seeing is the g without a number in front of it. Thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Amanda! I’m actually not sure on the actual weight per serving (the ‘g’ show up by default under serving size). This recipe makes about 12 little cheesecake bars though as long as you make it in an 8×8 inch baking tin like recommended. Hope that helps!
Ariel says
Could I use blueberries instead?
Sarah says
Absolutely!
Melissa says
These look so great. However, I am a little confused on the kcal to calorie count. If this is 439 kcal’s that means there are 439000 calories in one piece? Can you clarify, please?
Sarah says
Hi Melissa! Kcal stands for kilocalorie which is the more technical term for calorie so the amounts are the same! I’d list the amounts using calories if I could because that’s what I grew up understanding it as but when I add nutrition amounts to these recipes my only option is to list it as kcal.
Sorry about the confusion but hopefully that clears it up!
Janet bartee says
Do you have to soak the nuts ? And can I use raw almonds
Sarah says
Hi Janet! I’d recommend soaking the nuts because otherwise they’ll take a much longer time to process and become creamy. As far as the almonds go I say go for it – the taste will come out a little different as almonds have a more distinct taste but if you like almonds that shouldn’t be a problem
Dawn says
only 50g of blackberries? really?
looks soo gorgeous im trying it now…just seems skimpy on the ole blackberries thats all! x
Sarah says
Hi Dawn, 50 grams is right! Since it’s only for the swirly topping you don’t need much to cover the top. Hope you like it!
Kathy says
It doesn’t appear to have any baking involved. I’m not keen on unbaked flour or cocoa. I’m a little afraid to try this because of the “crust”. Does it have the taste and consistence of unbaked brownie batter?
Sarah says
The crust here does firm up when when it’s set, but it does taste like dark chocolate (most the sweetness comes from the cheesecake layer) so you may find that you’ll want to add another tablespoons or two of sweetener
Ruchama says
The picture shows rectangular slices how do you achieve that with a round springform pan? I don’t know of any square springforms.
Sarah says
I think the only way you’ll be able to get square pieces is to cut as you would with a square pan and just end up with the edges being smaller and rounded. You could always just cut them into triangles though if you’d like!
Kirsten Dangler says
Sorry to be difficult. I can’t eat cashews. Would another nut work the same way? Almonds, pistachios, s.peanuts? Guess I will have to try it out to see if I get the same results. I love the rest of the recipe. I am a blackberry freak!
Sarah says
Hi Kristen! I *think* I’ve seen people use macadamia nuts in place of cashews, but I’m not positive on that. Also – I just found this recipe from the Vegan8. Looking at the recipe it looks like they uses coconut butter where most would use cashews so that could be something to try. Hope that helps!