Now that Easter is over and we’re edging closer to Summer by the day (yay!), I think it’s time to whip out some more fresh, summery treats to enjoy! I’ve worked with seasonal berries to bring you this delicious raw strawberry cheesecake recipe, to help get you in that Summery spirit. If you’re looking for some more berry inspiration, they also have lots of great recipes on their website, so head over there and take a look! I love berries and always have done, so when Seasonal Berries challenged me to come up with a recipe featuring strawberries, I couldn’t wait to get started!
Strawberries are one of my favourite ingredients to include in both sweet and savoury recipes, as I absolutely love their flavour and they’re so easy to incorporate into such a wide range of different dishes. They have such a delicious sweet flavour that tastes amazing in cakes, smoothies and other sweet treats; but also in salads to add a little burst of sweetness into salads and dressings. Spring Strawberries are available at this time of year and you can find them in most major supermarkets. Not only are they really tasty, but strawberries are also a good source of vitamins and make great low-calorie snacks if you’re looking for something light and refreshing to much on between meals.
Raw cheesecakes are possibly one of my all time favourite sweet treats to make, as you can get really creative with flavour combinations and decorations. I just love experimenting with different colours and flavours and then whipping up different frostings to drizzle over the top! One of my favourite ways to garnish any cakes or tarts that I made is with a huge heap of fresh berries, as I just think that all of the vibrant colours look so pretty!
The key ingredient for the creamy cheesecake filling is actually cashew nuts- the concept of making cheesecakes with cashew nuts is something that fascinated me when I first tried out raw, vegan desserts. I just couldn’t believe that blended nuts could ever transform into something that tasted like a sweet, indulgent dessert! But, it really does work.. and tastes delicious for that matter. When blended, these create a really smooth, cream like texture, which is fantastic for then building flavours, as cashews have a really mild and slightly sweet flavour.
The strawberry and cream flavour combination really is a match made in heaven, wth just the right balance of sweet and fruity flavours. Not to mention, it being such a classic summertime dish in England. We’re incredibly lucky to be able to grow these delicious fruits during the warmer months.. and nothing quite beats a fresh, juicy summer strawberry dipped in whipped cream.. right? Well.. maybe until this cake came along! I don’t tend to like things that are overly sweet and I find that the kick of berry flavour helps to balance this out a little, which is perfect for me! I’ve added a generous drizzle of vanilla cashew cream on top of the cheesecake, to mimic the ‘cream’ part of the strawberry & cream theme and just to jazz up the decoration a little! If you have some left over, you could also serve it with some fresh strawberries for dipping. This cake would look so pretty served in a summer dinner party or bbq spread and is also perfect for a date night dessert, as it’s a really mini one, so you wouldn’t have to make an entire full sized cake for just two people.. unless you wanted to that is! (I’m sure my boyfriend would quite happily make his way through the full sized cheesecake!)
Note: This recipe makes a mini cheesecake
