If you love chocolate and cherries together, this cake is for you! A layer of chewy cherry-chocolatey crust, a layer of creamy cherry cheesecake with cherry bits, and a layer of creamy chocolate. Weekend made! ;)
Well actually, birthday made is more like it. This past weekend I was asked last minute to bring a birthday cake to a party. Thankfully I had some cherries and cocoa on hand, and the usual ingredients for a raw cheesecake (because those are always a must to have on hand around here!), and so this cake happened.
It turned out delish, but what else can be expected from cherries + chocolate + raw cheesecake, right? ;)
P.S. If you like this combo but want to make something quick and easy instead of a whole cake, this cherry chocolate nice cream is pretty sweet too...
Cherry Chocolate Raw Cheesecake
A creamy and delicious raw vegan cheesecake, with a cherry chocolate chewy crust and layers of chocolate and cherry filling.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Base:
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 4 soft medjool dates, pitted
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- optional: ¼ cup dried cherries
Cherry Filling:
- 1½ cups raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained*
- 1¼ cups fresh cherries, pitted**
- 7 tbsp maple syrup (or raw sweetener of your choice)
- 7 tbsp coconut oil***
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp raw ground vanilla bean (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
- ½ cup more fresh pitted cherries
Chocolate Filling:
- a third of the cherry filling
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, liquefied
- ¼ tsp raw ground vanilla bean
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
1. Process all base ingredients in a food processor to combine into a fine sticky crumble. Transfer to a 6" springform pan and shape into a flat crust along the base. Freeze while working on next step.
2. Make sure all ingredients are at room temp before getting started. Blend all cherry filling layer ingredients, except the ½ cup additional cherries, in a power blender until completely smooth. Remove a few tablespoon of this batter for swirls and set aside on the counter (I used this cake icing pen tool and just filled it up with the mixture).
3. Add in the remaining cherries and pulse a few times to incorporate them into the filling and chop them up slightly (you don't want to blend them too much as otherwise they'll blend into the filling). Transfer ⅔ of this mixture into the prepared pan with the crust (leave the remaining ⅓ in the blender). Smooth out the top and tap the pan on the counter a few times. Then freeze for 15 mins.
4. Add chocolate layer ingredients to the remaining cherry mixture in blender and process until smooth. Carefully spoon this mixture evenly over the cherry layer. Tap the pan on the counter to even the layers out a little. Then use the reserved cherry mixture (see step 2) to create swirls on top of the cake (I added some lines across the cake and encircled the edges with the remaining mixture, then used a tooth pick to swirl some patterns).
5. Freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight. Enjoy! Keep the cake frozen until serving time and freeze leftovers.****
Notes
*To pre-soak cashews: place in a glass bowl, cover with water, and leave to soak for 4 hours (or overnight in the fridge). Then strain and discard the water. For a quick pre-soak, cover with boiled water and soak for 15 mins, then strain and discard water. (Note: this technique doesn’t preserve the nutrition of the recipe as well as the traditional soaking technique above). Note: the purpose of soaking the nuts is to re-hydrate them and plump them up for blending into a smooth, cheesecake-like consistency. Proper soaking techniques also maximize nutrition and digestibility. If you’re interested in learning more about nut soaking and other dessert prep tips and tricks, I delve into these subjects in detail in my book Unconventional Treats.
**Can also use frozen and thawed out cherries, but you need to make sure they are at room temperature first before adding to the blender, as otherwise the coconut oil will firm up and won't blend properly.
***I used an unscented coconut oil for this cake so that the coconut flavor doesn't come through.
****Treat this cake like ice cream -- it will melt if kept out in a warm temperature too long, so it should remain frozen until serving. It can be thawed out for 5-10 minutes on the counter to soften up a little.
Rhiannon says
Hello,
I only have a 9" springfoam pan. Can I just double the recipe to fit my pan? Thank you!
Audrey says
Hi Rhiannon, yes that would work. Enjoy :)
Nadia says
I only got those super dark cherries and the cream came out purple! It looked amazing. We finished it off in a matter or minutes!
Just one question: Why do you always freeze cakes like this? They set perfectly fine and firm when you leave them in the fridge overnight.
Audrey says
Hi Nadia. Thanks for the feedback. Glad you're enjoying the recipe. Purple is always good in my books!
As for freezing, I find sometimes things set firmly in the fridge and other times they remain too soft. It also depends where you are located and general temperatures, etc. and since people from all over the world make these recipes it's a safer bet to instruct to freeze than risk people trying to open up the cake mold and have the cake melt off or smoosh around the edges, etc. But if fridge works for you, that's great -- I do that sometimes too :)
Erica says
What is another raw sweetener alternative to maple please
addie says
agave is another.
Audrey says
Thanks for chiming in, Addie. I missed this old question somehow! And yes, I agree raw agave is a great sub for maple syrup.
Charlie says
Do you use sweet or tart cherries for this?
Audrey says
Hi Charlie. I used sweet, but if you like tart cherries with your chocolate you can go with those too. Or do a mix.
Romina says
Hi I love your recipes absolutely fantastic. Can you tell me how you get the sides of your Raw cakes so clean and perfect? How do you remove the cake from the springform tin? thanks, Romina
Audrey says
Hi Romina. Thanks so much :)
I find the consistency of the filling is important, so using a power blender to make the filling is the first step to smooth sides as it makes a smoother-textured filling.
I use a springform pan, which gives the sides a smooth round look. I usually thaw out the ready frozen cake a few mins on the counter and then remove the springform pan off while the cake is still quite firm, and that helps with keeping the sides smooth as well.
I have more info on these tips and lots more on cake presentation, prep, slicing, transporting, and decorating in my book and videos here if you're interested: https://shop.unconventionalbaker.com/unconventional-treats-bundles