Raw Vegan Strawberry Lime Cheesecake | Inspiration: Cailin Rose

I’m really excited to share this week’s dessert recipe & Healthy Foodie Inspiration: Cailin Rose’s Raw Vegan Strawberry Lime Cheesecake :)  These are a lot easier to make than you would suspect and so refreshing! I love having them as a soft serve ice-cream treat 5 minutes out of the freezer.

Cailin Rose is an incredibly talented young lady who makes the most beautiful raw cakes, colorful breakfast bowls & vegan comfort foods. Definitely check out her Instagram to follow her healthy travel adventures around the world.

Raw Vegan Strawberry Lime Cheesecake

SERVES: 4 mini cheesecakes

EQUIPMENT: blender, food processor, rubber spatula, muffin or cupcake molds

INGREDIENTS:

Crust

¾ cup hazelnuts (or other nuts/seeds)
¼ cup sunflower seeds (or other seeds/nuts)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
5 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 large pinch of sea salt

Filling

1 ½ cups soaked cashews
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup unsweetened plant-based milk or coconut water
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon cacao butter (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 large pinch sea salt

1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen and thawed

DIRECTIONS:

Crust

1. Using a food processor fitted with an S-blade, process the nuts and seeds until finely ground.
2. Add the dates, coconut oil and salt. Process again until the dough sticks together. Add a little water if needed for binding. The mixture is supposed to stick together.
3. Put the dough in muffin or cupcake molds (I always grease them with coconut oil). Freeze for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Lime Filling

1. Combine soaked cashews, coconut oil, maple syrup, milk, cacao butter, lime juice, vanilla extract and sea salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add lime zest to taste if you wish.
2. Pour half of the lime filling on top of your crusts. Freeze for at least 20 minutes so the first layer can harden.

Strawberry Filling

1. Blend the strawberries with the other half of the lime filling.
2. Pour the strawberry filling on top of the frozen lime filling.
3. Freeze for at least 2 ½ hours.
4. Top with raw chocolate sauce and edible rose petals.

JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:

• These mini cheesecakes keep at least five days in a closed, airtight container in the refrigerator. If you store them in the freezer, they will keep at least one month.
• Replace the strawberries with other fruit for a variation on this recipe.

What used to be your favorite cake(s) as a child? Mine were berry tartlets with vanilla custard, and apple crumble.

Would you like me to share more vegan dessert / cake recipes? If so, what recipes are you looking for? Let me know by leaving a comment down below.

1. Where do you live?

When I’m not in Berlin, Ubud, Rabat, New York or Melbourne you might find me in Antwerp, Belgium.

2. What sparked your interest in health & plant-based cooking?

My interest in cooking, especially in baking all started on a visit to my family in Melbourne when I was a teenager. My aunts there have been into healthy food since they were young so we had the most delicious healthy food. I joined them in the kitchen to bake a cheesecake one day and I loved it. After that experience I was hooked and back home I soon became known as the cake baker of the family.

Some years later, I started to experiment more with healthy plant-based food. I discovered blogs online and saw documentaries that had such a big impact on me. At the same time my dad changed to a plant-based because he had a high blood pressure and wanted to get off his medications, which he did. The whole feeling of being more aware of your own health, but also of other living beings and the environment, was both empowering and exciting. I found myself in the kitchen trying out new ingredients and techniques and I became passionate about the plant-based lifestyle.

3. What used to be your favorite meal as a child? Any special childhood food memories or anecdotes?

My childhood food memories take me back to Australia. I’ve always loved Vegemite on toast, or even better on crumpets. For those of you who don’t know of them, they are toast-able soft bready disks with little holes in them (haha). Vegemite is an Australian thing, that most non-Australians hate. You can compare it with miso paste, but it’s black and even has a stronger taste. My mum told me that when I was little, I never wanted to eat my meals, but when dessert was served, I found my way onto her lap and would want to eat her dessert :)

4. What are the ingredients you can’t live without?

Bananas, oats, green leafy veggies, spices (cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, coriander), nuts (cashews & almonds), avocado, sweet potato, superfoods (cacao, Matcha tea, açaí, maca, …) and more!

5. What’s your typical breakfast, lunch, snack & dinner?

Back home or when I have access to a kitchen, I usually have some kind of porridge or chia pudding with fruit for breakfast. For lunch I often make myself a salad with any veggies and beans I find in the kitchen. I also love adding a grain like quinoa or buckwheat. As a snack I often just grab myself some fruit or make a smoothie. I love green smoothies but my favorite at the moment is a banana turmeric cardamom smoothie.

For dinner I like to experiment; I usually start off with a conventional idea like a curry or a vegan lasagna and with a little creativity come up with an interesting variation or even something new. Now that I’m traveling, I eat out just about all the time. I’ve had some of the best food ever here in Bali, I feel very fortunate.

6. What’s your favorite dessert?

My favorite dessert ... that’s so difficult! Although I love chocolate and really rich desserts, these days I go for a light and fruity dessert most of the time. That’s why I love smoothie bowls. Having said that, you can always make me super happy with a rhubarb crumble and some nice cream!!

7. If today was your last day on earth, what would you eat?

Oh my, I would eat the whole day without stopping haha. I would like to have a huge buffet with smoothie bowls, chia pudding, pancakes, waffles, avocado toast, tofu scramble, salads, raw pizzas, wraps, vegan sushi, curry, thai food, raw chocolates and cakes, bliss balls and so much more :D

8. Who and what inspires you?

The whole healthy plant-based food community inspires me. I’ve met so many lovely people who have encouraged and motivated me to keep going and do what I love.

9. Do you have any tips or tricks for anyone who is just starting on their health food journey?

One thing that I still sometimes struggle with is knowing just what to believe. In the healthy lifestyle ‘world’ there are so many diets, theories, ways to get the perfect body, to be the happiest and so on that it’s really difficult to know what is right and what is not. So I think the best approach is to learn as much as you can and try lots of things out, but never get caught up in just one thing. Learn what foods and combinations of foods resonate the best with you, tune in to what your body needs and try to stay true to yourself.

Connecting with others is so important too. Reach out if you have questions and share your experiences with others. There will always be someone out there to help you and who has been through similar experiences…

And most importantly, do not give up. Not everything will change overnight. Give yourself the time and don’t be too hard on yourself. I am still trying to find out what is right for my body, but every little step counts. You can do it!