Smooth, light and DREAMY: Almond Dreamcake! Made with almond cream -- no dairy and no cashews! (Raw, Vegan & Paleo approved) Jump to Recipe
Goodbye for now, Cashew Cream
Ask and you shall receive! A vegan creamcake with NO CASHEWS! (And no soy, agar agar or even coconut cream!) Can you believe it?!!?
I have gotten so many questions about replacing cashews in cheesecakes, and NOW I have the answer and I'm SO excited!
ALMONDS TAKE THE CAKE
Instead of cashews, my go-to ingredient for almost everything (from cheesecakes, to caramel, to cookies) I used almonds!
- Almonds still offer a neutral flavor - check!
- They're less expensive (always good news!)
- More readily available. YAY! (I buy them at Aldi for super cheap)
- They CAN be turned into cream - YESS!!
- BONUS: they're lower in carbs! So for all my dairy-free keto friends, I know you'll be super excited this discovery!!
Happy dance! Thank you to Ben & Jerrys for the inspiration to try making almond cream. After trying their new dairy-free ice cream on National Free Cone Day and found out it's made with almonds, I had to try making it! 
How to make Almond Cream
Making almond cream is SUPER easy and exactly like making cashew cream, actually! If you're new to making cream out of nuts, here's how you do it:
- Add blanched (skinless) almonds to a glass bowl that holds 3-4 cups.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Pour it over the almonds.
- Soak nuts in hot water for 2 hours (alternatively, soak in room-temp water overnight)
- Drain, rinse and shake nuts dry.
- Put the nuts in a food processor (or high speed blender) and blend them until completely broken down.
- Scrape down the sides, and blend again with a little almond milk and to reach a creamy consistency and Voila, cream!
Tastes like a DREAM
Almond "Dreamcake" is similar but not quite exactly like a cheesecake. It's lighter, and less tangy. More of a cream cake. And it's totally heaven on a fork.
But if you want to turn this into a cheesecake, you can! Swap the milk for oil and add about 1 more tablespoon of lemon juice so it will be rich and have a cream cheese flavor. (I will definitely be making an almond cheesecake, so stay tuned for that)
But my absolute FAVORITE part about this dreamcake is the almond FLAVOR. I am a little bit obsessed with almond extract. It's such a delicious flavor and this dessert is FULL of it. Reminds me of the flavor of wedding cake!
That hot pink drizzle though...
I can't forget about the drizzle! Whatever you call it... coulis, compote, or drizz, it's so gorgeous and adds so much decadence.
Can you guess what it's made of?? It's beets! Plus more almond extract, milk and a splash of maple syrup, pureed together. Super simple, but totally takes it up a notch. If beets aren't your thing, you can totally make a compote out of strawberries or blueberries, like in this recipe.
Drizzle is optional, but definitely elevates your level of fancy. 😉
Click image below to save this recipe on Pinterest:
If you make this recipe, tag me on Insta @emily.likes.food #prettypies! I love seeing your creations!
Almond Dreamcake (Vegan, Paleo)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup roasted almonds
- 7 medjool dates - ¾ cup
- Dash of pink salt
Almond Cream Filling
- 1 ½ cups blanched almonds - soaked
- ⅓ cup maple syrup - to taste
- ⅓ cup +1 Tbs coconut oil - melted
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- 2 teaspoon almond extract - to taste
- Dash of pink salt
Almond Beet Coulis
- ½ cup roasted beets
- ⅓ cup non-dairy milk - plus more as needed to thin
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor until sticky crumbles form.
- Press into a parchment-lined 7" springform pan. Set aside.
To make the filling:
- Soak almonds in hot water (brought to a boil first) for 2 hours. Drain, rinse and shake dry.
- Blend almonds in a food processor until completely broken down. Scrape down the sides.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness and almond flavor.
- Pour filling over crust and smooth with a spatula.
- Freeze or refrigerate until firm, a minimum of 3 hours.
To make the coulis:
- Puree all ingredients using an immersion blender or mini blender, adding extra milk as needed to thin.
- Taste and adjust for sweetness.
- Pour over cheesecake. Enjoy!
ASHLEY
I love the concept of beet coulis! So dreamy paired with creamy almond vanilla cheesecake!
Emily
Thanks! The beet coulis turned out even better than I expected! I love how it added another layer of almond flavor too And the color!! So pretty
Anna
Could this be done as a crustless dreamcake?
Emily
Absolutely
Taylor
Could blanched almond flour be used to help cut down time on needing to soak almonds?
Emily
I don't think that would work since the almonds need to absorb water & soften to be blended into cream. I think the flour would be too gritty and dry instead of smooth and creamy.
Aviva
How in the world do you get (basically) blanched almond butter to look like that!? What kind of food processor do you use? Does the coconut oil and dairy-free milk make that much of a difference?
Emily
Cuisinart 🙂 The coconut oil and milk definitely add to the texture and richness too.
Alicia
Would you have any suggestions on a binder for the crust other than dates? I can have all of these ingredients but dried fruit is high on my medical diet. No worries if not! 🙂 Looks amazing!
Emily
I usually use 2-3 Tbs coconut oil + a little sweetener (pinch of stevia or 1 T maple syrup) to replace the dates. You can also use nut butter in place of the oil.
Hope that helps! If you try it, I'd love to hear how it turns out 🙂
Henri
Hey Im Henri and I really like your Almond Cheesecake!
I plan to make it for my daughter birthday coming soon..
Just need some precisions please..
#FILLING
Can I substitute coconut oil with Coconut Cream or Full Fat Coconut Milk (solid part only?).
It works like Coconut Oil to set up the Cake well?
Or Almond Butter is another option?
(White and Raw I guess for best texture and white color?)
#TOPPING
Can I make a Strawberry Coulis instead of beets and how?
Many thanks in advance!
Henri
Emily
Hi Henri!
For the filling, I don't recommend subbing the oil. It may make it too soft and soupy and not solidify. Coconut oil or palm oil are my recommendations.
For the topping, you can absolutely do strawberry. I have that recipe in my low carb NY cheesecake here: https://prettypies.com/new-york-cheesecake/. You can change the sweetener to coconut sugar if you're not low-carb. Hope that helps 🙂
Henri
Hey Emily,
Happy to read you many thanks for your nice answer!
So even Coconut Butter cant substitute Coconut oil?
It solidify quicker and a bit harder so should work uf you try?
Ok for Strawberry coulis but why cooking in a sauce pan instead making raw by blending and strain only?
The texture will be the same if not cooked?
Thanks so much again!
Emily
Hi! 🙂
Coconut butter may work, but it's not a 1:1 sub and you'd need some coconut milk to get the right creamy consistency. You can try my other recipe that uses coconut butter if you'd rather use that. https://prettypies.com/berries-cream-fudge or this one: https://prettypies.com/fruit-pizza
For the coulis: blending strawberries essentially makes a strawberry smoothie since they are mostly water. Cooking the berries down reduces the water while keeping all the flavor and melting the sweetener. This helps create a more syrupy consistency rather than just a juice. Hope that helps!
Marisa
Oh wow! The beet coulis is incredible. I had some over ripe blueberries I tossed in, that I didn't think would hurt. 😉
Thank you for this incredible recipe!
Emily
Yay! You are welcome ☺️ Blueberry is a fantastic idea! Glad you liked it.
Paula Buckland
This is such a lovely idea! I LOVE almonds too. cashews give me arthritic pains! I would use almond oil because coconut is too high in sat. fat for me. Maybe use almond butter for the base too mixed with dried apricots! I'm always looking for ways to 'veganise everyday recipes!
Emily
Thanks Paula! I'm so glad to have a cashew-free alternative 🙂 your adjustments sound great. One caveat -- the coconut oil is what holds it together (it solidifies when chilled) An alternative could be palm oil.
Let me know if you try it! 🙂
Marissa
This looks incredible! Do you buy the almonds already blanched, or do you blanch them yourself? New to this but eager to try!
Emily
Thanks! I buy a bag of slivered almonds (which come already blanched) to save a step
Cyndi
Hi, Emily-
My pet peeve is when people ask the poster questions she shouldn't be expected to know the answers to, but now I'm doing it! How important is it for the almonds to be blanched? How do you think it would turn out if I attempted it with almonds with the skins on? Thanks!
Emily
I think it would still work with unblanched (raw) almonds. But the cake would be speckled instead of white 🙂 If you try it, please report back how it goes!
Suzanne
This looks so good! Does the almond flavor come through much?
Emily
Thanks! I love it
Yes there is quite a bit of almond flavor if you add almond extract 🙂 You can add as much or as little as you like. I like a LOT, haha.
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Emily
My pleasure!
Yes it keeps in the fridge for at least a week or more. You can freeze it for about a month, also! 🙂 Just keep tightly wrapped.
Linda
I followed directions exactly but mine is not smooth and creamy. It is kind of pithy like fine coconut. There is no way it will pour into the pan. I will have to use a spatula to get it out of processor and spread it in pan.
Emily
It sounds like it needs to be blended more. Do you have a good food processor or blender to smooth it out?
LauraCatherine
Thanks to the person who asked about using whole raw almonds, that is also what i keep in my pantry.
I was wondering if caned whole fat coconut milk could be used in a way to eliminate the need for coconut oil. I just tends to not make it into my grocery budget. Many thanks
Emily
I’m sorry, coconut milk won’t work in place of oil. The oil solidifies when chilled and that is what holds it together. Otherwise it will just be a bowl of cream 🙂
Gisèle Douville
You mentioned the coulis could be stored also, but can it be freezed too?
Emily
I haven’t tried it but I bet it’s fine. Then thaw in the fridge or gently heat on low