Food Sisi Toro Food Sisi Toro

Raw Blueberry and Lime Macadamia Cheesecake

I was blessed to be in Hawaii for 16 days in April, helping out at a free community health expo and presenting health seminars. While I was there, I really wanted to make a raw cheesecake for our team as there were many team members who had never tried raw desserts before! Needless to say, they all enjoyed the experience!

Photo credit: Taj Pacleb Photography

Photo credit: Taj Pacleb Photography

Some of them went a bit crazy at cake o'clock!

Photo credit: Beejay Crisostomo

Photo credit: Beejay Crisostomo

I wanted to create something using iconic Hawaiian ingredients, which is why I chose macadamias instead of cashews. I'd always thought macadamias were an Aussie nut, but it turns out Hawaii has a $40 million macadamia nut industry!

Photo credit: Earl Kapule

Photo credit: Earl Kapule

Trust and believe me when I tell you this recipe is yummy, creamy, zesty, and fruity - please try it yourself!

Crust:

๐Ÿ’Ÿ 1 cup raw macadamias, activated (soaked in water for several hours)
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 4 cups raw cashews, activated
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 10 medjool dates, pitted
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 1/4 cup desiccated coconut 

1โƒฃ Process 2 cups of nuts (set remaining 3 cups aside for filling) with dates and coconut (save some for garnish) in a food processor until well blended and sticky.
2โƒฃ Press mixture into the lined base of a 9" springform cake tin.
3โƒฃ Set aside in freezer.

Filling:

๐Ÿ’Ÿ fresh juice of 2 limes
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 1/2 cup coconut nectar
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 1 cup coconut oil
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 1/4 tsp pure Hawaiian sea salt

1โƒฃ Blend the remaining nuts, lime juice, coconut nectar, coconut oil, and salt until very smooth (I alternated between food processor and Vitamix to get the consistency right).
2โƒฃ Pour mixture onto base and distribute evenly with spatula.
3โƒฃ Freeze overnight.

Topping:

๐Ÿ’Ÿ 3 cups frozen blueberries
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 8 dates
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 1/4 cup coconut oil
๐Ÿ’Ÿ 1/4 cup almond milk

1โƒฃ Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2โƒฃ Pour onto filling and freeze for a few hours.
3โƒฃ Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving and garnish with coconut.

โœด๏ธ Please don't substitute the coconut oil with any other oil - it's the secret ingredient to getting the cake to set. All other ingredients can be adjusted according to your taste. All ingredients purchased from Down to Earth Organic and Natural retailers, my favourite stores in Hawaii!

โœ… Coconut oil actually raises HDL (good cholesterol), despite the bad rap it's had over the years - previous studies that condemned it were performed on partially hydrogenated coconut oil rather than raw, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil.

Give it a go and treat yourself, or surprise a friend with a deliciously healthy birthday cake!

Sisi xo

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