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RAW LAYERED BERRY ‘CHEESECAKE’

My Mum’s favourite birthday cake for as long as I can remember was a strawberries and cream layered cake. Each year my Dad would buy her one from their favourite patisserie. My family are all huge supporters of my new lifestyle, often adopting the way I eat, but I was still suprised when my Mum asked me to create a new recipe for her last birthday, replacing her favourite cake. I was excited by this challenge and came up with this raw cashew-layered ‘cheesecake’. Seeing how quickly the cake disappeared at her birthday meal filled me with such happiness.

Makes an 18cm Cheesecake

Ingredients

Softened coconut oil, for greasing the tin

Sticky Nut Crust (page 49)

Fresh berries and coconut flakes (optional), to serve

Vanilla layer

500g cashews (soaked overnight)

125ml maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla powder

Juice of ½ lemon

120g melted raw coconut oil

Strawberry layer

125g frozen strawberries

1 tablespoon melted raw coconut oil

35g strawberries, thinly sliced

Blueberry layer

75g frozen blueberries

15g finely desiccated coconut

 

Method

Grease an 18cm deep cake tin. Press the crust into the bottom of the tin to make the vanilla layer

Soak the cashews overnight or for a minimum of 4–6 hours. Drain and rinse.

Put all the ingredients for the vanilla layer except the coconut oil in a food processor. Mix well for about 3 minutes until the mixture is really smooth and creamy. Add the coconut oil and mix again.

Separate the mixture into three equal portions.

To make the strawberry layer…

With a third of the mixture, make the strawberry layer by adding the frozen strawberries and blending again. Add the tablespoon of coconut oil and mix again.

Spoon this mixture on top of the base in the cake tin, and then place the thinly sliced strawberry pieces on top.

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes–1 hour, if you have time, in order to firm it up before adding the second layer.

Once it has firmed up a little, put the second third of the mixture on top of this – the vanilla layer.

Return to the freezer again for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

To make the blueberry layer…

With the remaining third, return it to the food processor again and add the blueberry layer ingredients, mixing well. Spoon this layer on top of the vanilla layer.

Leave the cheesecake to set in the freezer for 2–3 hours, taking out at least 30 minutes before serving with fresh berries and coconut flakes, if using.

Best stored in the fridge.

Extracted from Livia’s Kitchen by Olivia Wollenberg (Ebury Press, hardback £20)
Photography | Tara Fisher

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