Raw Cranberry Rose Cheesecake

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

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★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 12 mini cakes or a single 6" cake
• Category: Cake
• Method: Raw
• Cuisine: Dessert

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Description

Creamy vegan cheesecake with a mix of tangy cranberries and fragrant rose water. Raw and naturally gluten-free.

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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:

• 1 ½ 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)

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Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Remove cake pan from the freezer. Pour topping layer ingredients evenly on top of the cheesecake layer. Decorate with sliced cranberries if desired.
6. Freeze for 5 hours or overnight. Remove from pan and enjoy! Keep leftovers frozen.