By Derek Henry, Holistic Health Coach for Healing the Body
There are very few people who can resist a well-made cheesecake (heck, even a badly made one will get devoured). The only problem is that cheesecakes are typically not healthy at all, as they are loaded with refined sugars and dairy that cause many digestive problems.
The good news is, this raw cheesecake recipe is actually good for your belly, in more ways than one.
Purpose
The purpose of this cheesecake recipe is to provide you with an alternative recipe that is raw and free of dairy and refined sugar. This helps improve the digestion of this beauty, and the addition of probiotic cultures ensures that your belly comes out much happier after you down a slice or three.
I also should mention, not many people will notice the difference in taste from a regular cheesecake. You can tell them after and revel in their surprise, or just keep it your healthy little secret. 
Equipment Required
- Medium sauce pan
- Blender
- Large bowl
- Spring-form pan
Ingredients
‘Cheese’
- 2 cups raw cashews: Soak for at least 4 hours (they will make your “cheese”)
- Probiotic capsules (enough to have 50,000+ live cultures)
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Pinch of salt
Filling
- One batch of cashew ‘cheese’
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 2 teaspoon grass-fed gelatin (Irish moss or agar agar are good vegan substitutes)
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Crust
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons raw honey
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 2 cups chopped strawberries or raspberries
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
Directions
- The night before making this dessert, puree the soaked cashews, coconut milk, and salt until completely smooth and creamy. This will take about 10 minutes. Scrape the sides once or twice.
- Once smooth, add probiotic capsules and combine gently.
- Place mixture into a clean bowl, cover, and place in a warm place (75–80 degrees F) to ferment for 12 hours.
- To make crust, line spring form pan with parchment paper. Pulse all crust ingredients until well combined and sticking together. Press mixture into a spring form pan with your hands. Set aside.
- To make berry topping, simmer strawberries or raspberries on low-medium until they start to sweat. Add honey and continue to simmer for 7 minutes to cook down the berries.
- Puree with blender. Allow to cool slightly.
- To make filling, grab a large bowl and pour hot water over 2 teaspoons of grass-fed (or Irish moss) gelatin. Let sit for 2 minutes.
- Blend with hand blender to fully combine and to dissolve gelatin.
- Add rest of filling ingredients (cashew cheese, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract) and continue to blend until completely smooth and creamy. Pour evenly over coconut crust.
- Put in fridge and allow to set for 2 hours (this is the hard part). Gently run knife around spring form pan and then open it up. It’s now ready to serve!
Consumption
- Even though it is good for you, don’t overdo it in one sitting. You may be tempted, but save some for later.
