Strawberry Key-Lime Mojito Cheesecake
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
Mojito is a traditional Cuban highball. Traditionally, it is a cocktail that consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water, and mint. And it is where my inspiration came from… this coming from a woman who hasn’t ever had a drink in her life. lol Inspiration comes in mysterious ways, doesn’t it?
I have to say that this has turned out to be an all-time favorite. A magical pairing took place between the tartness of the lemon and lime… and the sweet mintiness of the strawberry glaze. Not only that, it is stunningly beautiful.
To create a really striking look to this dessert, I kept the crust and filling pure white. In order to do this, I had to soak and skin the almonds before dehydrating them. From there, they were ground into a gorgeous white flour. It’s an extra step but well worth it, as you can see. Besides, it is very therapeutic to pop almonds out of their skins. If raw isn’t your priority, you can use store-bought finely ground flour. That’s entirely your call. The world is full of options.
Fresh and Organic Strawberries
I don’t know about you but just the mere mention of strawberries makes my mouth water. Make sure that you select organic, deep red strawberries. Did you know that you can tell how sweet a strawberry is by the color of the tiny seeds that are embedded on the surface of the berry? The darker in color they are, the sweeter the berry. Don’t use pale or bruised berries. Aim for the best quality. If the season for fresh berries has slipped by, you can use organic frozen strawberries. Be sure to thaw and drain them before using.
Ingredients:
Yields one 9” Springform pan
Crust:
Strawberry glaze:
- 1 cup sliced organic strawberries
- 1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 Tbsp psyllium
- 2 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- 16 oz. fresh strawberries, sliced
Key lime filling:
- 3 cups raw cashews, soaked 2+ hours
- 1/4 cup raw almond milk (2:1 ratio)
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp lime zest
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1 cup cold-pressed coconut oil, melted
- 3 Tbsp sunflower lecithin powder or liquid
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, not having to fight with the lip. 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, pulse the coconut, flour, and salt together.
- Be careful that you don’t over-process and head towards making a nut butter. Nothing wrong with that… just not our goal at the moment.
- Add the coconut butter, water, and sweetener. Process until 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.
- Distribute the crust evenly on the bottom of the pan, using even and gentle pressure. If you press too hard it might really stick 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.
Strawberry glaze:
- In the blender combine 1 cup of strawberries, lime juice, honey, and psyllium. Blend until creamy smooth.
- Slice the remaining strawberries into bite-size pieces and place in a medium bowl.
- Add the strawberry sauce and mint. Stir together and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Once thickened, pour over the lime filling.
- Drain the soaked cashews and discard the soak water. Place in a high-speed blender.
- In a high-powered blender combine the; cashews, almond milk, lime & lemon juice, sweetener, 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.
- This process can take 2-4 minutes, depending on the strength of the blender. Keep your hand cupped around the base of the blender carafe to feel for warmth. If the batter is getting too warm. Stop the machine and let it cool. Then proceed once cooled.
- You can use a different liquid sweetener if you are not comfortable with agave. Just be aware of the different flavors and colors that the sweetener might impart to the cake.
- 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.
- 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 down the sides.
- Immediately 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 till firm enough to add the strawberry glaze.
- Spread the glaze gently over the cheesecake and place 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 it is well sealed to avoid fridge odors.
- How to slice a cake. Click here.
Have you ever seen a naked almond?
This is what I was referring to in order to get a white flour.
You would soak, peel, dehydrate and grind into a flour to
get that pure white color for the crust.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, No Dehydration Required, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
any substitute for cashew, honey and agave?
hope u had a wonderful vacation.
– thanks
Hello Vandy,
You can try using Young Thai coconut meat instead of the cashews. You will want about 3 1/2 cups of smooth, thick, blended coconut cream once done creaming it in the blender. If you can find Young Thai coconuts you can also used canned, (just the thicker cream part, not the liquid) if your not worry about the cheesecake being completely raw.
Can you tell me what sweeteners you can or do eat?
amie sue
Stunning! Got my 83 years young Aunt coming to stay for a few days next week so great excuse to pick some strawberries from my garden and make this beautiful cheesecake! Welcome back Amie Sue – we’ve so missed you, your amazing recipes and your wonderful sense of humour and fun :-) Love & Light, Kelly (across the big pond to the UK!)
Thank you Kelly. I have missed my NR family too :) hugs. Thank you for the welcoming words, they mean a lot. How wonderful that you will have this special time with your Aunt. Let me know how she likes the cheesecake. hehe Relax, make memories and enjoy your time with her. Blessings and hugs, amie sue
Hi again Amie-Sue, well my Aunt LOVED the cheesecake, and so did my Brother and his Partner who came to take her home! In fact everyone had large helpings and then some more, so my poor Partner had to be satisfied with a small piece and the crumbs when he got home!! Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make another one :-)
Good afternoon Kelly,
Oh that just tickles me pink. :) Thanks for keeping me posted. I really enjoy hearing the experiences that people have when trying the recipes that I share here. :)
I will let you in on a little trick that I do when making cheesecakes… When making a full sized pan of cheesecake, I pinch off some of the crust batter and press it into a little 4oz mason jar or dessert glass. Then right before I pour the filling into the main pan, I pour a few ounces of the filling into the little jar. I put a lid on it and tuck it in the fridge. This becomes my husbands treat long after the cheesecake has disappeared. You become an instant hero! hehe
Thanks again for sharing and have a great evening Kelly. amie sue
Hi Amie Sue, glad you’re back and I hope you’re feeling restored and replenished. We are right in the middle of strawberry season here in Montreal, Qc. It is my favourite time of year for fresh raspberries and strawberries. Your recipe looks absolutely exquisite and perfect timing for me to try out. Many thanks for everything you share here on your site. Warm regards, Alice
Thank you so much Alice. I am feeling much better and I am now working on implementing some new things in my life to continue that healing! :) I would say that this recipe was perfect timing for you. :) Please let me know how it turned out. Enjoy and many blessings! amie sue
Dearest Amie Sue,,, Just a special note to let you know that it’s not a bad thing to take sometime to do some R&R. No guilt there!! You do so much for others, it’s not a bad thing to take some time for yourself… We totally understand. On top of your daily challenges you had that horrible thing happen to loose much of your recipe pictures and that would be enough to make one need a break. When you get back to catching up; I have something that I might want to challenge you with… I love love the recipes that you give to us and it has opened up a totally new world for me… But I’m still having trouble to loose weight. I can stay at my weight, but to loose; it’s still not coming off. I did a cleanse and I do my exercises and try to do the great laws of health. Perhaps it could be the nuts in the recipes that is keeping this from happening?? Challenge- How to make the crackers and spreads without the nuts. I’m working on some recipes from here on out…. It’ definitely wouldn’t have the same textures or flavor but there is where the challenge is.. Any ideas???? Or I’m thinking to cut down on the portion size?? One doesn’t need the same amount when doing raw… etc.
Hugs and thank you so much for all of your gifts to us. jan
Good evening Jan,
Thank you so much for your support and understanding. We all need to practice more self-care, don’t we? :) Your sweet words really blessed me. Thank you again.
As far as not losing weight… this is a big topic and one that I can’t really answer with just one or two ideas. There are far too many factors that come into play. You don’t need to answer these questions but these are things that must be taken into consideration… How is your over-all health? What health issues do you have? Are you on medications that could be affecting your weight? Are you stressed? Is your cortisol levels high? How is the health of your adrenals? Are you over exercising, causing your cortisol levels to rise? Do you get good, deep rem sleep? Do you consistently stay hydrated? Are you eating a balanced diet? Do you overeat/binge? Are you not eating enough? Are you struggling with emotional issues? Are you eating foods that could be causing inflammation in the body? Are you eating too many dehydrated foods, which can be drying and hard on the digestive system? Speaking of digestion… how is yours? Do you eliminate regularly? Are you eating foods that cause your bloating or pain?
As you can see there are so many things that could be effecting your weight… these are just SOME things to look at and think about. Could you be over doing it on nuts?… You bet, that is possible but it depends on how much you are eating and what other foods your taking in. Balance and moderation must come into play regardless of what a persons diet is. Are you eating any cooked foods (not that cooked foods cause weight gain or issues)? Besides weight, are there any other symptoms happening within your body? I don’t know what your portion sizes are so I can’t really say, but that is something that should be evaluated.
I don’t mean to overwhelm you with thoughts and questions but this is the foundation in which I would at least start from. I know how frustrating it can be. Since I don’t know what your diet as a whole consists of or how long you have been eating the way you do, it is hard to me to direct you. Outside of the weight issue, look within and see if you can spot any health benefits since eating the way you have. Health is always priority and if you are seeing improvements in other areas…. you have much to rejoice about then. The body works in layers and sometimes weight can be the last layer for the body to tackle.
I am rambling now… lol I hope some of this speaks to you and helps you to dig a bit deeper into your situation. Sending love and blessings!! amie sue
How did you get a white crust using maple syrup?
Yes I did Yvonne :)
Can you sub psylium for something else?
Hello Marie,
You can use ground chia instead of the psyllium. The role of the psyllium is to help thicken the sauce. Have a great weekend, amie sue
Sounds like a great recipe, just wondering what I can substitute for the lecithin please. BTW love all the recipes :)
Hello Kitty,
If you don’t wish to use it, I would just omit it and make the rest of the cheesecake as directed. Have a wonderful weekend, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue, I am so delighted that you are back, and rested. Wow , what a wonderful recipe to bless us all with- yummmmmmmmm , my taste buds are singing !!! I will make this for a family reunion . It always is so much fun to bring one of your creations to a function ,hear people say how wonderful it is, and then introduce them to your web site. Yes , it is so much fun – as well as eating it!!! Thank you for the recipe, you were very much missed by me , so glad you are home. Hugs, Lyn :]
I always love to make your taste buds sing :) Did you make it yet or is the reunion this up and coming weekend? Thank you for sharing my site with others… your always so sweet. love and hugs, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue!
Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes with love. They are divine.
Q I don’t have coconut butter but have coconut oil and cacao butter. What would be best to substitute with?
Love and light from Australia. XXXX
Good afternoon Sally,
Your welcome and thank you for the sweet comment.
Instead of using coconut butter, I would recommend cashew butter. If you use coconut oil I would just use 2 Tbsp of oil and then add 2 Tbsp of water. Cacao butter would be good too but it will give the crust a chocolate flavor. If you use it, you might need to add a bit more sweetener since it is so bitter tasting, just taste test as you go! That’s not necessarily a bad thing by any means, just different than from what I created. :) Enjoy and let me know how it turns out!
Hi Amie-Sue,
This is another one of your incredibly gorgeous creations. I’m visiting my family and would love to try this. Last time I was here I made the peanut butter chocolate buckeye cake and it was crazy good and gorgeous.
Anyway, no dehydrator here. Is there another way to do the raw white almond flour? Do the nuts need to be dehydrated after soaking?
Also, on another note, I have no coconut butter here, but I’ve read on a couple different blogs about making coconut butter in a food processor using only coconut flakes. Have you ever done that? The photos look promising.
Thanks so much for your thoughts.
Mary
Good evening Mary,
So nice to hear from you. :) I hope that you have a wonderful time with your family. You know, I just made this cheesecake again today! It is just divine.
I prefer to dehydrate the nuts after they have soaked so I can get a finer “flour” when grinding them but in your situation you can get away with wet nuts. If you don’t have the time to peel the almonds you could use cashews which are white’ish in color too.
Oh, yes, you can make your own coconut butter for sure. I don’t have a post on my site for that, so follow the instructions from the other site on how to make it. It’s sooo easy really, just takes a little time / patience. You could use almond or cashew butter if you have either of those on hand in place of the coconut butter… but in the future, get some coconut butter! ;)
Keep me posted and have fun making it. Blessings and hugs, amie sue
Thanks so much for the info Amie-Sue. I was also just looking at the “True Blue Blueberry Pie”, which may be a bit simpler in terms of the kitchen gear and ingredients here. Do you think one is more of a show stealer for a non-vegan/raw crowd? Or is that a little like Sophie’s Choice?
Hi again! :)
I will agree…. the “True Blue Blueberry Pie” is much simpler… but it is delicious! Just make sure that you start with great tasting blueberries. :)
I will however say that this “Raw Strawberry Key-Lime Mojito Cheesecake” is a show stopped and will impress anyone. Regardless of which one you decide to make… they will both be well received. :) But don’t stress over it, do the one that fits in with the time you have, tools and ingredients. In the end, it’s ALL good! Blessings. Night night, amie sue
Hey Amie-Sue,
I didn’t see any key limes listed as ingredients in the recipe. I am assuming you simulated it using the limes and lemons. If I were to use key limes, would I omit both the limes and lemons and use the same amount in the recipe?
Love this look!
Joel
Good day Joel,
Yes, lemon + lime juice is a substitution for key lime juice. If you are able to find key limes, then replace both the lemon and lime juice with the key lime juice. I hope you enjoy the recipe! blessings, amie sue