Chocolate Carvel Divine! The best raw cheesecake ever!

[Sheryl]

I promised you this recipe, and here it is!! Now with a photo to tantalise your tastebuds!


http://www.raw-pleasure.com/sheryl/chocolate-carmel-divine.jpg

This is the best chocolate carmel cheesecake ever!!! This is a cake we made up using some pretty specific ingredients we wanted to try. It's a variation of the one you can find in Alissa's Cohens book or in the Complete Book of Raw Food. Cashews and lemon as a base for cheesecake is quite normal, but what makes this one divine is the quality and interest of the new ingredients.

If you don't have these ingredients you can make cheesecake using honey and vanilla extract, but it won't have the WOW factor of this one. Hope you enjoy!!!

Crust:
2 cups pecans
1/2 cup raisins

1) Process the crust ingredients until they are crumbled and will hold together when squeezed. Leave some texture in - it adds visual appeal and tastes nicer too.
2) Press into the bottom of a spring form pan

Filling:
3 cups raw cashews, soaked a few hours to soften
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 - 3/4 cup dark agave nectar
1/2 cup melted cacao butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1) Grind the vanilla bean
2) Blend all ingredients together until very smooth
3) Pour into spring form pan

Topping:
1/4 cup cacao butter
1/2 cup cacao powder
2 teaspoons agave nectar (or more to taste)

1) Melt cacao butter in the dehydrator or in a bowl of just warmer than body temperature water
2) Mix ingedients together
3) Drizzle over cake (I like a solid chocolate top best)

Place cake in fridge or freezer to set.
Slice while still firm (to avoid cracking the chocolate topping)

ENJOY!!!

[wyjoz]

THANK YOU Sheryl!

[Sheryl]

It's definitely a treat for special occasions!! Tasty!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Rawadventures]

hmmm.......... okay......where do you get cacao BUTTER? Is it raw? I have cacoa nibs, but everytime I make something with them its GRITTY. :rolleyes:

This sounds GOOD, so I can't wait to find out!


Thanks

[Sheryl]

In the past only the raw nibs and beans were available. And you're right you could never get them smooth enough to really do chocolate well. Just in the last few months though many raw food retailers on the net have made raw chocolate powder (that has been defatted to allow it to be processed VERY smooth) and cacao butter available. The cacao butter smells heavenly!! Together you can actually recreate smooth chocolate, and also get that chocolate taste we all love!

It's expensive, so fo special occasions... so tasty though. You should have seen people's reaction when I took out this cake. They were amazed! One woman had her teenage daughter go raw based on that dinner. She had though raw was boring, and was so amazed at healthy pizza, ice cream, salads with tasty dressings and dessert she converted! Now the family has Alissa's book and is making all kinds of delicious meals!

Raw food is so much fun!!!

Sheryl

[jocelynAZ]

Sheryl - this sounds amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing! I will definitely give it a try. I don't have cacao butter, but do you think coconut butter would work?? I have that. The flavor would change slightly, obviously. But I love the taste of coconut, so I wouldn't mind that. :)


Thanks again!
Jocelyn

[Sheryl]

Coconut oil definitely works, that's what was in the original recipe. You'll just need to chill it a little more to firm it up. The cacao butter is firmer at room temperature.

The original recipe used all coconut oil, and honey instead of agave, and was missing the vanilla. Also it had fruit mixed with dried fruit on top instead of chocolate!

So many possibilitites!!

Enjoy!
Sheryl

[Sheryl]

I love it too!!!

Sheryl

[samadhisoul]

what gives this the caramel taste?

[MangoMommy]

I found cacao butter available on david wolfe's website
http://www.davidwolfe.com/products_1.html
I havent tried it but it is on my list

[marigold]

just want to recomend this..made it last night and its the best cake i have ever made..really wonderful..xxx

[aromaticwings]

just want to recomend this..made it last night and its the best cake i have ever made..really wonderful..xxx
Hey.. where are the pics to these mouth watering beauties??

[Sheryl]

Added at your request!!

Mine last one (photo above) had some small cracks in the top - the chocolate cooled too quickly when I put it in the freezer. The fridge is probably a better idea!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Rawkinlocs]

Cracks in the top or not, that looks delicious!!

I'll have to try this one day soon! Thanks :)

What's all that other stuff in the background? Looks you all were having a FEAST!!

[Sheryl]

In the background are 2 lemon poppy seed cakes, and a mamey sapoty pie (made to taste like pumpkin pie). YUMMY!! We also had chocolate, vanilla and pina colada ice cream.

We had about 24 people over for a raw pizza party that night - it was the most energized party ever! We fill the house once a month with a raw food party - much fun! The buzz is electric!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Rawkinlocs]

That sounds cool!! :cool:

I was thinking about a raw pizza party just yesterday! I know this is really gonna divert things off topic, so do you mind if I email you and ask you some questions in relation to your monthly raw parties?

[Sheryl]

I'm happy to talk!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[aromaticwings]

ooooo...yummy!! I need to get a spring form pan. After my kids moved away from home I got rid of alot of my baking things... Time to restock my kitchen... Job where are you?????

[stRAWberry fields forever]

Sweet lordy that looks delicious.

[Dandelion Girl]

I finally tried this. It was SO AWESOME! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

Pam

[clickersister]

Oh, WOW! Looks so yummy! Thanks for posting the pic.

[rawfigure]

Well thanks. Sounds like a Good Easter Desert to introduce to my non raw extended family !!

[tvillemom]

I'm afraid the raw cacao butter would blow my budget out of the water, maybe I'll save the recipe for MY birthday! Thanks for the BEAUTIFUL picture...it sure does make my mouth water. Reminds me of that SAD, rich turtle cheesecake I ate one time! I can't wait to try RAW cheesecake...I'll think I'll try to buy myself a springform pan soon! Thanks again.
Wendi

[Sheryl]

There's no reason to wait - just make a cheese cake with all coconut oil instead of cacao butter, and top with fruit! Alissa has a great recipe for blueberry cheesecake in her book.

The cacao butter does give it a beautiful melty texture that is absolutely gorgeous... try it sometime!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[heabrook]

Wow.

That's all I have to say. Wow.
I saved the recipe. This might be my birthday cheesecake! It's coming up and I'm trying to figure out what I want. This looks so good wow so good wow... really..mmmm...

[Sheryl]

It has this beautiful melt in your mouth texture to it to which is quite unique and beautiful (from the cacao butter). I love this cake (have made it three times now). May need to make it again soon!

It would be a beautiful birthday gift to yourself!

Cheers,
Sheryl