Bob’s Birthday Cherry Cheesecake
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
If you have followed my recipe site for a while, you have come to know a little bit about my loving husband, Bob. I find him to be the most amazing human being that I have ever met in my life. He is my everything, and I cherish him to the ends of the earth.
Well, one thing that I might not have shared before is that Bob sings. He has an amazing voice and sings to me all the time. He even goes to my doctor appointments with me and sings to me while they draw blood (so I don’t pass out) hehe. By the time we leave, he is usually offered a job. He is truly a man of many talents, and I am so blessed to be on the receiving end of them.
Why am I getting all mushy about Bob? Because I created this cheesecake for him as a birthday request. Hence the name, Bob’s Birthday Cherry Cheesecake, so I thought I would share a little something special about him.
Now about the cheesecake… here’s the interesting thing that always catches me off guard when I make it… as it is blending it looks pink, but soon it turns a tan color, then darkens even further as it sets up. I know it’s because I tend to use Bing cherries which dark red to purple in color… but there is always a slight twinge of disappointment as I see the shifting of color take place. But, I will say… it doesn’t affect the flavor in the least.
Below under “preparation” I have listed out some substitution options so be sure to read through the recipe before starting. I keep learning and testing new things when I remake the recipes on my site. I hope you enjoy. Blessings, amie sue
Ingredients:
Yields 9″ Springform pan
Crust Ingredients:
- 3 cups (248 g)shredded dried coconut, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup (62 g) ground flax seeds
- 1/4 cup (20g) raw cacao powder
- 2 tsp (2 g) ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) Himalayan pink salt
- 8 (90 g) moist Medjool dates, pitted
- 3 Tbsp (42 g) raw coconut oil, melted
- 5 Tbsp (136 g) maple syrup
Filling
- 2 cups (492 g) Young Thai coconut meat
- 2 cups (482 g) frozen organic cherries, thawed
- 3 Tbsp (60 g ) lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (168 g) maple syrup, see below for sugar-free option
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds only or 1/2 tsp (2 g) vanilla bean powder
- 1/4 tsp (2 g) Himalayan pink salt
- 1 1/4 cups (254 g) raw coconut oil, melted
- 3 Tbsp (20 g ) lecithin powder
Chocolate Ganache: yields 1 cup
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 1/3 cup raw virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1/8 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Preparation:
Crust:
- Assemble a Springform pan with the bottom facing up, the opposite way from how it comes assembled.
- This will help you when removing the cheesecake from the pan, so you don’t have to fight with the lip when removing a slice of cheesecake.
- Wrap the base with plastic wrap. This will make it easier to remove the pie when done… unless you plan on serving the cake on the bottom of the pan.
- In the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, combine the dry ingredients; coconut, cacao, flax meal, cinnamon, and salt in the food processor, and pulse together to mix.
- This ensures that the dry ingredients (spices) get well distributed, so you don’t end up with concentrated pockets of flavors.
- Add dates, sweetener, and coconut oil, processing till the batter sticks together.
- Depending on your machine, you may need to stop the unit and scrape the sides down during this process.
- Test the batter by pinching it between your fingers. If it holds, it is ready.
- To cut down the sugars, you can omit the dates and add 1/3 cup of water… enough, so it sticks together when pinched
- Distribute the crust evenly on the bottom of the pan, using even and gentle pressure.
- If you press too hard, it might really stick badly to the base of the pan, making it hard to remove slices.
- You can either just make the crust on the bottom of the pan, or you can also bring it up the sides. It is up to you.
- Set aside while you make the cheesecake batter.
Filling:
- In a high-speed blender combine the coconut meat, cherries (and their juice from thawing), lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.
- Due to the volume and the creamy texture that we are going after, it is important to use a high-powered blender. It could be too taxing on a lower-end model.
- Blend until the filling is creamy smooth. You shouldn’t detect any grit. If you do, keep blending.
- If you don’t have Young Thai coconut meat, you can use 2 cups (270 g) of cashews. Soak them for 2+ hour, drain and rinse before adding.
- If using fresh, pitted cherries, use 2 cups (285 g).
- For sugar-free use, 1/2 cup (81 g) Markus Sweet, powdered instead of the sweetener listed above.
- With a vortex going in the blender, drizzle in the coconut oil, and then add the lecithin. Blend just long enough to incorporate everything together. Don’t over process. The batter will start to thicken.
- What is a vortex? Look into the container from the top and slowly increase the speed from low to high, the batter will form a small vortex (or hole) in the center. High-powered machines have containers that are designed to create a controlled vortex, systematically folding ingredients back to the blades for smoother blends and faster processing… instead of just spinning ingredients around, hoping they find their way to the blades.
- If your machine isn’t powerful enough or built to do this, you may need to stop the unit often to scrape the sides down.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Chill in the freezer for 4-6 hours and then in the fridge for 12 hours.
- Store the cheesecake in the fridge for 3-5 days or up to 3 months in the freezer. Be sure that they are well sealed to avoid fridge odors.
Ganache:
- Place all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
- Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender jar with a rubber spatula.
- After the cheesecake starts to firm up, pour the ganache on top and gently spread across the top of the cheesecake.
- Slide back into the freezer until it sets up really firm.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
Happy Birthday Bob! Will I be invited to the party next year?
Yummy!
What is Ganache? I always see it, and I know it is chocolate…but, is it a liquid chocolate suace or a chocolate frostting that firms? Thanks!!! How else do you use it?
Hello Chris :)
Ganache is defined as: a glaze, icing, or filling for pastries made from chocolate and cream.”
It firms when chilled but not real hard. I have used it a lot on my raw desserts. Great for a frosting, drizzle over raw ice cream, use it as a layer in a cake, squirt some in a glass of nut milk and have chocolate milk… endless ideas!!
So nice to see a raw cheesecake that is not made of nuts. I will have to try this one out.
I hope you try it Dana….keep me posted if you do :) amie sue
These are adorable!! Best part about this recipe was the story about your love for Bob. Great story and recipe, just in time for Valentines Day! Thank you Amie!
Thank you Tammy :)
Please let me what can I use instead of fresh coconut meat? I’m living in Spain and it is not often that you can find young coconuts here.
Best regards,
Bea
Bea, if you are not apposed to nuts you can use 2 cups of cashews that have been soaked for 2+ hours. I was thinking of coconut butter, but I haven’t tried it. Have a blessed day, amie sue
How do you juice frozen, thawed cherries? Impossible….why not just blend them?
Hi Lindy…. I didn’t juice the cherries, I used the cherries and their juice from thawing. Sorry for confusing you :)
Hallo Amie Sue.
Oh, was für eine tolle und ans Herz gehende Geschichte, vielen dank fürs teilen!
Happy Birthday Bob bzw. alles Gute nachträglich zum Geburtstag wünsch Jesse aus Berlin!
Super Rezept, die Kombination von den Zutaten passen perfekt zusammen. Diese Party Plastik Becher sind super und es ist auch nicht so schlimm, wenn das Dessert etwas weicher von der Konsistenz ist, so kann nichts vom Teller oder der Form laufen.
Ach ja, fast vergessen, klasse finde ich auch, dass es wieder ein Rezepte ohne Nüsse ist.
Viele Grüße,
Jesse
Amie Sue, sie sind ein Engel, sie haben sich wieder so viel mühe gemacht und auch noch alles Bild für Bild gezeigt.
Google Translate for Jesse..
Hi Amie Sue. Oh, what a great and share fond continuous story, thank you for sharing! Happy Birthday Bob and Happy Birthday Jesse subsequently wish from Berlin! Great recipe, the combination of the ingredients fit together perfectly. This party plastic cups are great and it’s not so bad if the dessert is a little softer on the consistency, it can not run off the plate or shape. Oh, almost forgot, great, I also think that it is a recipe without nuts again. Regards, Jesse Amie Sue, they are an angel, what they did to so much trouble and even showed everything frame by frame.
___________________
Good evening Jesse… good to hear from you! This dessert was a favorite of Bob’s. I shared your birthday wishes with him and he says thank you :) I hope all is well… talk to you soon! amie sue
Happy Belated Birthday to Bob. :) You and Bob make a wonderful team. It is very clear that Bob loves you too. Reading about all this love warmed my bones on this cold Tucson morning. :) BTW cake looked yummy!
Thank you Gabrielle :) I passed it on to Bob. :) Can you hardly believe this weather? hehe I hope all is well! amie sue
Hi there the dessert looks great! Can’t wait to try the recipe. BTW I really like the square cups which party supply store did you buy them from.
thanks
Hello JJ… I got the cups at Party City. These days you can find so many neat shapes and sizes. Have a great evening, amie sue
You are a genius. I have been wanting a cheesecake type dessert without nuts. Just thinking out the box here. Can you make the base with out the cherries and use that to make a vanilla or chocolate or even a chocolate cherry? Just thinking would that base recipe work for different flavors? Thanks you are amazing and love your site.
Hello Danielle,
So nice to hear from you. :) Specially when you refer to me as a genius… KIDDING, just kidding hehe. You can easily replace the cherries with any other fresh fruit. If you want to make it a vanilla base, you will need to replace the fruit with more young thai coconut because you will be losing volume from the cherries, then maybe increase the vanilla a bit to get that stronger vanilla taste. To make it chocolate flavored you can add cacao butter (maybe 1/4 cup) or cacao powder (about 1/4-1/2 cup) just depends on how strong you like the flavor. I hope this helps. Enjoy! amie sue
Hello JJ,
I am so excited to make this recipe but I wasn’t quite sure what type of cherry’s to use. Bing or Pie?
Hello Evonne,
I tend to use Bing. You will want a sweet cherry. :) Let me know if you give it a try. Enjoy! amie sue
Hello again,
I was also wondering if there was any substitute for the coconut meat.
When I purchased the coconuts with no cracks or mold on them. upon opening them, they were moldy and smelled gross. The only place I could find any was the link you provided but it was only bulk for $100.
Hello Evonne,
I understand your frustration with cracking young Thai coconuts and finding great disappointment from within. That is why I finally started using the ones that I link to above. I am not sure where you live, but if there is a Whole Foods or equivalent grocery store in your area, check their frozen section. I know that Whole Foods in Portland carries 1 lb bags of frozen coconut meat.
But for now, you can swap the coconut meat for soaked cashews. Keep me posted how it goes. Blessings, amie sue :)