You don't need any cream cheese, gluten, eggs or sugar to make this White Chocolate Raspberry 'Cheesecake'! Luxuriously smooth and full of juicy berries. Deliciously dairy-free and perfect for a celebration!
To Celebrate
I'm counting down the days until Valentine's Day! It's right around the corner. I'm absolutely in love with HOLIDAYS -- especially one's centered on LOVE.
What about you? Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Are you into all the romance and gushy mushy stuff?
I feel pretty lucky to have my sweet husband to celebrate with. This will be our 16th Valentine's together. (Wow, I didn't even realize that til I had to do the math). He's so thoughtful and kind. He's a GOOD guy. He's an amazing dad to our two kids. I don't know if I could survive without him. (Beats JACK Pearson any day <3)
On the rare.. and i do mean RARE.. occasion that we get to go out on a date, we always have so much FUN. No one makes me laugh like he does. And I LOVE to laugh.
There's WAY too much man-bashing and complaining online these days. Let's celebrate our significant others!! Let's show them we care.
AND LET'S MAKE THEM CHEESECAKES. (And the best part: we get to eat it, too!!) 🙂
CHEESE-FREE CHEESECAKE
If you're new around here, you may not know. Cheesecakes are kinda my THING. Like my specialty, my FAVORITE thing Ever ever in the whole WORLD. But not just ANY cheesecake, VEGAN cheesecake.
There's no dairy/cheese/butter/milk/cream in these "cheesecakes". And you won't miss it one BIT.
The rich and luxurious texture is created using CASHEW CREAM (plus a few more plant based ingredients).
Yep, the whole things is made with PLANTS. (So basically it's a salad, right? I kid) Once you try a plant based cheesecake, you may never go back to the dairy version.
Another plus - there's no baking or cooking involved either. Blend it up, chill it down. And then proceed to scarf it down. 😉
How do you make WHITE CHOCOLATE?
The answer is Cacao Butter! What is it?? It's the pure pressed oil from cacao beans & the main ingredient in white chocolate. You can use it to make traditional chocolate by adding cacao powder but I absolutely LOVE the flavor of white chocolate. There's nothing else that can replicate that incredible flavor
I used Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Raw Cacao Butter (which I found on Amazon). As soon as you open the bag, you smell the incredible aroma of white chocolate. And you have what LOOKS like big chunks of white chocolate, too. You might just want to grab a piece and eat it (but DON'T, lol! It needs to be sweetened 🙂
Not only can you make your own amazing white chocolate, you can make it HEALTHIER. No dairy, No refined sugar, No soy, No chemicals/fillers/additives/ETC! Just PURE whole food ingredients! Squeee! I love it!
Shhh! Don't tell!
This cheesecake is loaded with secrets. Secret #1 - no cheese. Secret #2 - made with VEGGIES.
I can't help the sneakiness. My kids won't eat many veggies these days, so I'm hiding them EVERYWHERE - breakfast, dinner and DESSERT. All packed with ZUCCHINI! Mwahahaha.
All the mothers rejoice, right?? Kids eating veggies - Win. Cheesecake becomes even more SILKY smooth and creamy - WIN. Dessert becomes even more nutritious.. so much WINNING.
You can add an entire zucchini and no one will EVER KNOW. Don't be scared. I PROMISE it's deLISH.
Simply peel, shred and squeeeeeze the water out (The squeezing helps to get your aggression out, too! ha) 
So, whose day can you make by making them a cheesecake?? Do it! 🙂
Wishing you lots of LOVE and deliciousness this Valentine's Day <3 Enjoy it.
ps Looking for more Valentine's Day recipes? Check out my Vegan Neapolitan Cheesecake and Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie.
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If you make this recipe, It would make my day to hear from you! Leave a comment and be sure to tag me on Instagram @emily.likes.food! #PrettyPies
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (Vegan, Paleo)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¼ cups almonds
- 2 Tbs coconut oil
- 1 Tbs maple syrup - or coconut milk + stevia
- Pinch of pink salt
Cheesecake
- 1 cups raw cashews - soaked
- ⅓ cup maple syrup - or coconut milk + stevia, to taste
- ½ cup cacao butter - melted
- 1 small zucchini - ½ cup shredded
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 Tbs vanilla
- Pinch of pink salt
- 6 oz raspberries - divided
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor until crumbs form. Add a splash of water if it needs help blending.
- Press into a small 7" springform pan lined with parchment. Set aside.
To make the cheesecake:
- (Use cashews that have been soaked in hot water for 2 hours) Blend cashews in a food processor until completely ground. Scrape down sides.
- Peel and shred zucchini. Measure out a ½ cup loosely packed shreds. Place shreds in a clean towel and squeeze out all the moisture.
- Melt cacao butter in a double boiler or microwave. Measure ½ cup after melting.
- Add remaining ingredients to food processor, and blend again. Taste and adjust for sweetness.
- Pour a ¼" layer of cheesecake over the crust. Add a layer of raspberries evenly spaced around the perimeter and throughout the center. Pour the remaining cheesecake over the top.
- Cover pan with a paper towel and wrap in foil. Refrigerate until firm (about 2-3 hours).
- Garnish with whipped coconut cream and remaining raspberries. Enjoy!
Notes
What I used:
Cacao Butter
Raw Cashews
Springform Pan
To make whipped coconut cream:
Use a can of Thai Kitchen coconut milk that has been refrigerated overnight. Scoop out the solid white cream into a mixing bowl. Add 1 Tbs maple syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whip for about 30 seconds. Transfer to a baggie to pipe on, if you like.
To store:
Keep refrigerated for about 5 days. Freezing not recommended because they berries get mushy when thawed.
Karen
Did you use a green or yellow zucchini in this? (I have both in my garden!) Also, after reading your freeze dried recipes, I’m wondering if I could add powdered freeze dried raspberries to the filling.
Emily
I use green 🙂 And yes you totally could add freeze dried fruit if you like! If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Lina
Can I replace maple syrup with organic cane sugar? If yes, how much should I use?
Emily
I’m not sure if sugar would dissolve properly or how it would affect the texture. But in general, the conversion for sugar to maple syrup is 1:2 (maple syrup is about twice as sweet). And you’d need to add some liquid to compensate.
If sugar is all you have, you dissolve it into hot water to make simple syrup.
I don’t have experience using sugar in raw desserts, so I don’t know the exact conversion. I’m sorry!
Mimi
Hi, could the recipe be made into Several mini cheesecakes and served or does it have to be one big one because of the measurements and the way they hold together?
Emily
Yes you can make several minis 🙂 I use silicone cupcake liners to make individual servings
Cecilia
Hi. I couldn't understand why you add Zucchini on the recipe. What's is the purpose. Please help me. Thank you
Emily
It lightens the texture some so it’s not too rich and thick. And it adds extra fiber and nutrients. You can probably leave it out or use a little coconut milk in its place if you like 🙂
Tina
Can this be made without the zucchini? How would the recipe need to be adjusted?
Emily
Yes, just add a few tablespoons of water 🙂 It should be fine
Kimberly
Can you omit the lemon juice?
Emily
You can, but the lemon juice gives it the slight cheesecake “tang”