best cheezecake recipe?

[shelah]

i'm looking for opinions on the best cheezecake recipe out there -- my daughter's birthday and she's a die-hard non-raw cheesecake lover. i promised her a raw version to die for, and now i have to deliver on it!
so -- any and all votes on the absolute hands down best cheezecake recipe?!
oh, and the recipe itself or at least a source would help too!
thanks and blessings to all!

[mbf]

I have not tried making one yet but have seen many recipes posted here. I have had raw cheescake made by others and it was terrfic. Just do a search on the banana up above and you will get many matches. Good luck !

MBF

[Rawkinlocs]

If you have Alissa's book, her blueberry cheesecake is delicious! If not, there is a recipe here (I'll see if I can dig it up for you) that has gotten rave reviews.

I can give you a tip or two too...when you make the crust, no matter what recipe you use, add about 1/4 c. of ground oat groats (steel cut or whole), about a 1/4 tsp. of coconut oil (ONLY if you have a nicely flavored one...they're not all created equal IMHO) and a dash or two of (celtic) sea salt.

This will make your crust taste more "buttery" and more graham-ish, at least to ME it did.

Also, please keep in mind that while the raw cheesecakes are absolutely delicious, I'm not too certain that any of them will taste dead-on to SAD cheesecake, especially for the truly, die-hard cheesecake connosiers! But I'm sure she'll still enjoy it. Okay, off to find that recipe for you...

===
Okay, here's that recipe but also wanted to say that many here found it too tart with the lemons, so began subbing with freshly squeezed orange juice instead and loved it. I think I did part lemon and part orange once with good results:

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups of almonds
1 cup of dates or 1/2 cup of honey

To make the crust, use a food processor and process the nuts and dates or honey until nice and fine. If you do not have a food processor use a blender but do not place all the ingredients at once but little at time or else it will burn out the blender. "Personal experience". Place the ingredients into a pie plate and press all around the pie plate, once this is done I put it in the fridge.

For the Cheese:
3 cups of cashews (soak in a bowl for at least an hour this will make them nice and soft)
1 cup of lemon juice
1 cup honey
1 cup of coconut oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla

To make the cheese, blend the cashews, lemon, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of water. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste.

Pour the cheese mixture onto the crust.

Place the cheesecake into the freezer until its nice and firm (I put it in for 3-4 hours tops).

Then I put cheesecake into the fridge for about an 1 hour.

For sauce:
1 bag of your favorite berries or whatever is available
1/2 cup of dates or 1/4 cup of honey

Blend the ingredients and place it on a container.

I pour the sauce on the cheesecake when I cut myself a piece.

[ambiguous]

I like the recipe that Rawkinlocks posted above, but I would definitely recommend adding some salt to the "cheese" mixture for a more authentic cheesecake taste. I also think that recipe could benefit from some nutmeg, but I have yet to try it that way. And I second the reduction in lemon juice, but I think you should have at least some lemon juice for that undertone of sourness that makes cheesecake so intriguing.

Plus I've lately become a vanilla fanatic, but I think you need more than 1 tsp. . . .

I think it's awesome that you're making a cake for your daughter. If she doesn't appreciate it, you could always make a cake for me :)

[shelah]

rawkinlocs, thanks so much for the great tips and you, too, ambiguous for your input. my daughter will be home in a few weeks so i'll have time to experiment a little. i'll let you all know how the final version comes out!