This raw cranberry rose cheesecake recipe is the very first raw cheesecake I've ever shared on this blog. Actually, I believe it may be one of the first few recipes on here period (Dec 2013 -- holy cow! Where has time gone?!). As you know, I've been recently reconstructing many of may oldies, but this cake honestly needs no changing. It's always been perfect as is. I went to try and improve it recently, and found no flaw to my taste. A classic remains a classic...
Actually, I think if I did try and change anything about this cake my dessert-hating cranberry-loving husband would have been pretty unhappy. This is one of the few desserts he loves and gets excited for each time I make it. He's loyal to his faves, and so I've stayed loyal to the recipe over the years as well ;)
So just updated the photos a little with new ones from my latest batch of this cake and called it a day. Plus since it's an oldie it tends to get buried away in the back of the recipe queue here, so I wanted to bring it to your attention again because this cake is so lovely I wouldn't want you to miss out on it by not even knowing it exists!
Fresh cranberries and rose are such a wonderful pairing. The rose flavor here is quite subtle, but adds a lot of depth and a delicate fragrant taste. If you prefer, you can leave the rose water out, but if you can lay your hands on some -- highly recommended!
Oh, the only thing I am changing from here on is... getting rid of this ridiculous mini-cheesecake pan! Sure the cakes look cute, but honestly, I haven't touched the pan in over a year. It's a pain not to lose any of the removable bottoms. AND who needs an extra useless cluttery pan around? Anyone? Didn't think so. I'm sorry I even ever recommended it when I originally shared the recipe. The moment I finished taking photos of this cake, it went straight into the donation bin. Unless you're really set on making tiny cheesecakes, save your money and your cabinet space and just use a regular 6" springform pan or some cupcake molds instead.
I kept the cake as minis for the photos though because that's how the original appeared. And I'm feeling a little sentimental about it :) If I have to give up the pan, at least I'll have mini cakes in a photo...
What about you, have you purged any useless items from your kitchen lately?
Raw Cranberry Rose Cheesecake
Creamy vegan cheesecake with a mix of tangy cranberries and fragrant rose water. Raw and naturally gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini cakes or a single 6" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Base layer:
- ¾ cup pecans, pre-soaked and strained
- 6 medjool dates, pitted
- ¼ cup fresh cranberries
- ½ tsp raw ground vanilla beans (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
Cheesecake layer:
- 1½ cups cashews, pre-soaked and strained
- 5 tbsp lemon juice
- 6 tbsp maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice)
- 6 tbsp coconut oil, liquefied
- ½ tbsp rose water (optional)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup fresh cranberries (room temp)
Cranberry topping layer:
- 1 cup fresh cranberries (room temp)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, liquefied
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Topping:
- 6 (or more) fresh cranberries (sliced in half)
Instructions
- Process all base layer ingredients into a fine crumble in a food processor. Scoop the mixture into the cake pan (dividing evenly between the 12 cake molds, or simply empty into your springform pan). Press ingredients down until an even layer is formed. Place in freezer, while working on the next step.
- Blend all cheesecake layer ingredients in a power blender until smooth (you may need to pause and scrape down the sides a few times throughout blending if not using a power blender).
- Remove cake pan from freezer. Scoop out cheesecake layer ingredients into the cake pan on top of the base layer (divide into 12 equal parts if using the mini cheesecake pan). Tap the pan a few times on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Place back in the freezer while making the topping.
- Blend all cranberry topping layer ingredients (except for the optional 6 cranberries) in a power blender (you don’t really need to clean out the blender from the previous step, so long as you scooped it well. Any leftovers will blend in nicely into the topping layer). Process until smooth.
- Remove cake pan from the freezer. Pour topping layer ingredients evenly on top of the cheesecake layer. Decorate with sliced cranberries if desired.
- Freeze for 5 hours or overnight. Remove from pan and enjoy! Keep leftovers frozen.
Olivia says
Hello,
I cannot wait to try this cake! Love rose water and love cranberries. Although I have not yet bern able to find either fresh or frozen cranberries in Switzerland. Being Canadian, Christmas is all about cranberries… I miss them so much! I will try the rehydration trick you mentioned in one comment.
How would you use solid muffin tins for these mini raw cheesecakes? Line them or grease them (coco oil)? Would that even work?
Thank you! I love the beauty and wholesomeness of raw cakes!
Audrey says
Hi Olivia, the easy way you could make these in a regular tin muffin pan is to line them with silicone cupcake liners. Those peel off very easily and make the process simple. You could use regular paper liners as well, but they can be a bit more tricky to pull out of the pan, and also sometimes peeling them off can be a little bit annoying, but not a big bother all around (here's an example of a similar cake I did in paper liners for reference: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/raw-vegan-caramel-cheesecake-gluten-free-paleo/
And yes, fresh cranberries are a treat. Currently with Thanksgiving here, they're everywhere :) I hope you find some, but if not give the rehydration trick a go <3
Kacie says
I just picked about 6 cups of wine berries in my yard, and I am searching for healthy dessert recipes to use them up. They are sort of similar to raspberries, do you think it would be worth trying to sub them in for the cranberries here?
Audrey says
Oh sweet! We had tons of them growing at our old house.
Yes, I think they'll work well here. Here are a couple other suggestions where you can use them up in case you need more options :). Personally I always found them to work great in pies.
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/red-currant-pie-vegan-gluten-free/
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/raw-vegan-white-chocolate-and-raspberry-cheesecake-gluten-free-paleo/
Michelle says
Hi, excited to try this recipe, i love rose and it looks so pretty, but am not keen on coconut oil - mostly because of the taste and greasiness, but also worried by the negative press and it being a saturated fat ... is there anything i could use instead, or maybe reduce and use something alongside it ? Thanks Michelle x
Audrey says
Hi Michelle, you can't really taste the coconut oil in this (and it definitely doesn't feel / taste greasy), but here are a few options:
1. Use an unscented coconut oil -- the taste and aroma are extremely mild.
2. Use cacao butter instead (it will give the cake a chocolatey taste) -- you'll need to use less, I'm guessing 4 tbsp should suffice.
3. If trying to avoid oil, you can try using one of these recipes instead:
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/pink-pitaya-and-rose-raw-cheesecake/
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/oil-free-vegan-coconut-lime-cheesecake/
They both use coconut milk in place of oil (as a wholefood source).
4. If you'd rather not have any coconut altogether, here are a few alternative recipes you can try out:
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/pistachio-orange-blossom-raw-avocado-cake/
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/nut-free-sunflower-seed-butter-cheesecake/
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/vegan-no-bake-peanut-butter-cake-with-brownie-crust/
(There are lots more you can find on the recipes page here -- select the tags that apply at the top, like "cake" + "oil-free" + "coconut-free", etc.).
Cheri says
could I make these in silicone muffin trays, and just pop them out after chilled
Audrey says
Hey Cheri, you can definitely use silicone muffin trays for this -- I do that all the time for mini cakes and it works great :)
Fatma says
Dear in your cranberries cheesecake I can't find in the ingredients any cheese ????
Audrey says
Hi Fatma, it's a raw vegan cheesecake, which is a type of cake that mimics the texture and flavor of cheesecake but without the dairy :)
Cleo says
Hi there- just found this ( and you) on Pinterest. I actually have a little tear on my cheek- a tear of joy to find someone who really gets it, makes beautiful things and has an eye for beautiful photos too! Thankyou- a hundred times thankyou. For myself and my 11 year old daughter this is a game changer.
Audrey says
Thank you so much, Cleo :) So happy to hear the recipes are making a difference. Enjoy them! <3
hanna says
Hello Audrey
This cake looks delicious
I would try it but I've never seen fresh cranberries in France
you think I can do it with dry cranberries
thank you
Hanna
Audrey says
Hi Hanna. You absolutely could. The only thing is you'll need to re-hydrate the cranberries -- so soak them in warm water until they plump up and soften (about 10-15 mins if you cover with boiled water or a few hours at room temp with warm water). Otherwise your blender will struggle.
Heather says
Hi can these be prepared in advance and frozen ? Party I need them for us in s month
Audrey says
Hi Heather,
Can definitely be prepared in advance. If they are properly sealed (so there's no frost bite), they can keep up to 3 months frozen no problem.
Heather says
Awesome thank you so much they are beautiful !
Debbie says
will the cheesecake layer work with dried white mulberries instead of cashews?
Audrey says
Hi Debbie,
No, I don't think it will -- the mulberries just don't blend down into a smooth consistency. You can try steamed or boiled cauliflower instead (like in this cake) or sunflower seeds or sun butter.
Lucie Javorska says
yay! I literally just bought my first bottle of rose water (because that pistachio cake in your new book is just begging to be made) and now I have another amazing treat to use it in :) plus I love cranberries so all the better <3
Audrey says
That's awesome, Lucie! Rose water is one of my favorite flavors -- as I'm sure you've noticed from the book :) Have fun with it. Just be sure to use it in moderation -- too much and it can make things taste soapy... :S
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
Okay so the pan might be a total pain in the butt with waaaaay too many parts, but these little cheesecakes are so CUTE!!! I love the berries in the crust too--pink all the way through :)
Audrey says
Yes, that's true -- they are very tiny and cute. I was sad about that. But the pan was a pain. Hopefully someone else can find more joy in it...
The Vegan 8 says
I love the pink Audrey, it's so pretty! I bet my daughter would love these too, she loves ALL things pink, haha!
Audrey says
Yes, it's quite a princess pink :)
Evi @ greenevi says
Beautiful Baker, I agree!
These cheesecakes look so fantastic and the absolutely stunning. And the pictures....oh so dreamy ♥︎
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Evi :)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Just rename yourself "The Beautiful Baker". These are stunning Audrey!!
You know I had rose water the first time in 6th grade? One of my friends had it and made us try some! Haha!
Audrey says
6th grade?! No way! In what?
vegetarianmamma (Cindy) says
This looks super delicious!!! Thanks for linking up, I pinned this!
-Cindy
Audrey says
Thanks Cindy!
Veronica says
I modified this recipe and made the cheesecake layer 3 times, once with strawberries, once with no fruit and once with blueberries and layered them over the crust for an awesome red white and blue cake. I hope you have a fantastic 4th! Thanks for the inspiration!
Audrey says
That sounds Amazing, Veronica! What an awesome idea. Happy 4th of July to you as well :)