Recipe: Raw Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

This is a raw, vegan, grain-free cheesecake set in the freezer rather than baked: a date-and-almond base, a wild blueberry layer and a lemon layer, both made from soaked cashews and coconut butter. It makes 8 bars from an 18cm (7-inch) square tin, with 25 minutes of hands-on work and about 3 hours of freezing.

The recipe is from Nirvana Cakery — the quantities are theirs, the method is written up here in my own words. One thing their timings leave out: the cashews need a 4-hour soak before you start, so this is a job to begin in the morning for the evening.

How can a cheesecake have no cheese in it?

Soaked cashews do the work that cream cheese does. Soaked properly and blended hard, they go completely smooth — no graininess — and melted coconut butter, blended in at the end, is what firms each layer up once it is cold. That is why this sets in the freezer rather than the oven, and why it wants a little time out before you eat it.

Coconut butter is not coconut oil. It is the whole coconut flesh ground to a paste, and it is sold in jars as coconut butter or coconut manna. Oil will not give you the same set.

Where the goodness is

Blueberries are one of the richest everyday sources of polyphenols, and polyphenols feed the gut bacteria that protect the gut membrane. I have written up the gut wall in full here.

The soak matters for more than texture, too. Soaking cashews breaks down phytic acid, which can otherwise inhibit mineral absorption — so do not be tempted to skip it and rely on a powerful blender.

Ingredients

Makes 8 bars. Cup measures are the original's; the gram weights are the ones to trust if you have scales.

For the base

• ¾ cup almonds (90g)
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds (35g)
• ½ cup desiccated coconut (50g)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 6 Medjool dates, stoned
• 1 tsp maple syrup

For the blueberry layer

• 1 cup frozen wild blueberries, slightly thawed (100g)
• 1 cup cashews, soaked for 4 hours (120g)
• ¼ cup maple syrup (60ml)
• 2 tbsp almond milk
• Zest and juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup coconut butter, melted (100g)

For the lemon layer

• 1 cup cashews, soaked for 4 hours (120g)
• ¼ cup maple syrup (60ml)
• ¼ cup almond milk (60ml)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup coconut butter, melted (100g)

To finish

• Edible flowers, petals only (optional)

Method

1. Line an 18cm (7-inch) square tin with a removable base.
2. Pulse the almonds and sunflower seeds in a food processor a few times until ground. Add the desiccated coconut, dates, cinnamon and salt, and blend until it starts to clump. Add the maple syrup and blend again — it should hold together when you pinch it.
3. Tip the base mix into the tin, spread it evenly and press it down hard. Put it in the fridge.
4. Drain and rinse the cashews for the blueberry layer and put them in a high-speed blender with the blueberries, maple syrup, almond milk, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Blend until completely smooth, then add the melted coconut butter and blend again just until it is mixed in.
5. Spoon the blueberry mix over the base and smooth the top. Cover with baking paper and then cling film, and freeze until it is firm enough to take the next layer.
6. Rinse the blender, then make the lemon layer the same way: rinsed cashews, maple syrup, almond milk, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla until smooth, then the coconut butter.
7. Spread the lemon layer over the blueberry layer and smooth the top. Press a few edible flower petals gently into the surface if you are using them. Cover with baking paper and cling film again — this is what stops freezer burn — and freeze until completely set.
8. Lift it out of the tin and cut into 8 bars with a sharp knife. It cuts most cleanly while still frozen.
9. Leave the bars to soften before serving. Keep them in the fridge or the freezer.

Is this a healthy snack?

It is a pudding, and it is worth being straight about that. By Nirvana Cakery's own nutrition panel each of the 8 bars comes in at around 575 calories and 31g of sugar, most of it from the maple syrup and dates. Real ingredients, nothing refined or artificial — but a lot of it in one bar.

If you want it to go further, cut 16 small squares instead of 8 bars. Eaten after a meal rather than on an empty stomach, it sits as what it is: a treat made properly.

Who it is not for

Anyone with a tree nut allergy — there are almonds, cashews and almond milk in every layer. Coconut appears in the base and in both fillings too. And if you are working on your blood sugar with me, talk to me before this goes into a weekly rotation.

Common questions

Can I use ordinary blueberries?

Yes. The original calls for frozen wild blueberries, slightly thawed, and frozen berries of any kind blend in well. Fresh ones work too; the layer may be a little looser before it sets.

Do I really need a high-speed blender?

For a smooth filling, it helps a great deal. A standard blender will get there with a longer soak and more patience — stop and scrape down the sides often.

Can I make it without coconut butter?

Not as written. It is what sets the layers, and swapping in oil changes the texture. Treat it as the one ingredient worth tracking down.

The bottom line

A make-ahead, freezer-set cheesecake with two proper layers of fruit, and nothing in it you would not recognise. Plan for the soak, keep the portions honest, and it is one of the best-looking things you can put on a table without turning the oven on.