What would you do if you had a pile of extremley ripe avocados that had to be used This Very Instant? You could whip up some guacamole, but my mind goes straight to sweeter things involving avocado. So when I had my own ripe batch to use up the other day, and remembering just how great the avocado / lime flavor combo in this lemon lime cake was, I decided to go for it again but with a berry twist. It was so simple to make and so delicious that I actually made this cake twice in the span of a couple of days.. (ahem, it's a small cake, ok... ?).
By the way, lime works brilliantly with an avocado-based filling, since the natural color of the cake hints at the presence of lime without any need for artificial colors. So lime was a no-brainer in this case when considering flavor pairings.
For the berries, blueberries and lime always go naturally well together... BUT when I made this cake with raspberries, it was magical. Way better than the blueberry / lime combo. Something about the raspberries and this creamy cheesecakey filling just... worked. Of course, I made that raspberry version first and it was promptly devoured before I took any photos, which encouraged me to make another version with blueberries (since that's all the berries I had left on hand... and yes, any excuse for more cake... ?). It's nice with the blueberries and they look pretty all frosted over, but if you've got the option I say give it a try with raspberries instead. Mixed berries would be lovely, too.
For the crust, feel free to use any nuts or seeds of your choice. I used pumpkin seeds to keep the cake nut-free (since the avocado filling allows this cake to be naturally nut-free, unlike many other raw cakes). Almonds, cashews, pecans or sunflower seeds would be great here if you're not picky / restricted.
As a bit of a tangent, I was quite surprised to find out that apparently not all blueberries have the "galactic" effect when frozen and sliced open. ? Who knew!... Anyways, they're quite delicious frozen -- galaxies or not -- so my disappointment wore off rather quickly there ?
Raw Berry Lime Cheesecake
Delicious fruity berry and citrus raw vegan cheesecake with an avocado base. Gorgeous yellow-green filling. Gluten-free and refined sugar free.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Base:
- ¾ cup raw pumpkin seeds (or another nut or seed of your choice)
- ½ tbsp coconut oil (optional)
- ½ tbsp agave
- 4 soft medjool dates, pitted
Filling:
- 1 avocado, de-seeded and peeled
- 4 tbsp lime juice
- 4 tbsp agave
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (optional for a firmer texture)
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Toppings:
- ¼ cup fresh blueberries
- optional: edible dried blue cornflowers
Instructions
- Process all base ingredients into a fine sticky crumble in a food processor. Transfer into a 4" springform pan and press down into a flat even crust. Freeze while working on the next step.
- Blend all filling ingredients into a smooth consistency in a power blender. Transfer the mixture into the prepared crust and smooth out the top. Tap the cake pans gently on the counter to flatten the filling. Top with fresh berries and any other toppings. Freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight to set. Enjoy!
RAELYNNE says
Do you have nutrition info for this? I would like to share this with a diabetic friend but needs to know carbs, etc. For each serving.
The Real Person!
Hi Raelynne. I don't track nutritional info for my recipes so don't have that info handy unfortunately, but you could easily do so on your own if you wish by running the recipe through one of the many free websites that do this for you online if you like (search for "recipe calculator" or "nutritional info calculator", etc).
Shawon says
Thanks Audrey for sharing this amazing and rather unbelievable recipe. I went on a keto diet couple of weeks back and sometimes crave sweet stuff. A friend of mine sent me this recipe about a week ago and I finally made it today. It was super easy to make with my ninja food processor and also because the ingredients list is so short!
The cake not only looks beautiful but tastes like heaven! The filling doesn’t taste like avocado at all! It tasted like lime gelato to me. :)
I made a small change. Instead of maple syrup, I used erythritol...which I don’t think changed the taste...
Thanks again for this amazing recipe. I’m glad I came across your website. :)
The Real Person!
Hi Shawon. I'm so glad it worked for you and thank you for the lovely feedback! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the cake.
Mila says
Shawon could you tell me how much erythritol you used and did you add extra liquid to the filling? and what did you use instead of the dates in the base?
Thanks in advance;)
Trang LE says
Do you have thaw in fridge or bench after removing from freezer?!
The Real Person!
You can thaw it out on the bench, though very briefly -- 10 mins or so, just until you can slice it easily. The leftovers need to be kept frozen, as it's a cake meant to be eaten frozen.
Cassie says
For me, overripe avocados call for guacamole for DAYSSSSSSS. But this cheesecake also looks brilliant! I love the way you decorated it!
The Real Person!
Oh yes... lots of guacamole happens here too. But also lots of cake ;) Thank you very much, Cassie!
Joana says
Hi Audrey,
i love your website and all your inspiring recipe ideas ;)
Greetings from Germany
Joana
The Real Person!
Hi Joana,
Thanks so much for stopping by and saying hi :)
mila says
Your photography is beyond stunning! I cannot believe you can see the frost on those berries. Its stunning!!! I love how creative you get with these! And I cannot wait to try this with RASPBERRIES! How do you think it would work with plums?
The Real Person!
Hi Mila. Thank you very much. I don't see why it wouldn't work with plums so long as they're ripe and sweet :)
Carol says
A friend made a raw vegan "cheese"cake recently that made it OK to forget chocolate (momentarily). I will have to make your recipe. It's Absolutely beautiful, particularly with the bold blue flower petals. Thank you.
The Real Person!
Thank you very much, Carol. Enjoy it! I have lots and lots of different "cheese"cakes on the blog in the recipes section by the way -- raw, baked, etc., if they're something you like :)
Kiki says
Hi! How big is your avocado? Like fist sized (or even better, weigh it with a kitchen scale in grams or ounces) and haha yes I live in America but still sometimes use a scale
The Real Person!
Hi Kiki. Sorry for the delayed reply. It was an average sized haas avo -- don't know the weight, but roughly fist sized or slightly bigger. The recipe is forgiving though, so the precise amount is not an issue -- should work either way, so long as your avocado isn't massive :D
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
I always love your mini cakes (and much more practical too of course with how many you make), but this one is especially cute for some reason. Like I could just hold all the sweet green goodness right in my hand! I had an extra ripe must-be-used avocado on my hands just yesterday, so I made a ginormous bowl of very creamy noodles, but cake would've been better. Much better. Because of course sweet > savory :) Both berry versions sounds wonderful to me, berries and citrus just play together so nicely!
The Real Person!
Hehe. I don't know. Avo noodles sound pretty good too. Is it weird to have avo for dinner & dessert in one sitting?! ??