Valentine's Day: Raw Raspberry & Chocolate Cheesecake

I didn't know what to do for Valentine's Day this year, I mean, I had so many ideas and new recipes I wanted to try that it kind of overwhelmed me. After a couple days looking back at old recipes and finding some inspiration I decided to make something raw cause I found out I actually didn't make nor eat (at home) any raw cheesecake since june 2015.

You guys already know I'm not a fan of super romantic stuff, love messages and fondant cakes (eewk!) but a bit of pastel pink mixed with the vibrant red color of fresh raspberries it's a pleasure to my eyes. This cake not only does look cute, it also has a great flavor and superb mousse-like texture, you can really taste that sweet and slightly sour flavor of raspberries but the maple syrup adds a perfect touch of sweetness. A luscious berry cake with a delicious chocolate crust (the one I made for my raw orange chocolate cake), I love the combination of dark chocolate with fruit.

What are you planning for this weekend? Are you baking a treat for your other half or preparing some surprises? 

I will treat myself with my favorite breakfast: pancakes with lots of maple syrup, walnuts and banana!...I know I'll celebrate Pancake Day a bit late but any day is a good day to enjoy a big batch of super fluffy pancakes.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Receta en español aquí!

Ingredients
(Yield: one 20 cm/8-inch cake)

- For the chocolate crust:
1 cup almond meal.
3 tbsp pure maple syrup.
1/2 cup raw cacao powder.
A pinch of himalayan pink salt.
- For the raspberry filling:
3 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight).
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice.
1/2 cup unrefined organic coconut oil.
2 cups frozen raspberries.
3/4 cup pure maple syrup.
2 tsp pure vanilla extract.
1 tsp beetroot juice.
A small handful of fresh raspberries.
- Toppings:
Fresh raspberries.

Directions

Soak cashews in water overnight, once they have puffed up and become tender drain out the soak water and rinse them well.

Line the bottom of a 20 cm/8-inch diameter springform pan with parchment paper, leaving some extra inches of paper to easily lift out the cake when finished.

Place almond meal, cacao powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Pour over the maple syrup and stir everything together until it becomes a sticky mixture.

Press the crust down firmly with your hands and then use the back of a spoon or spatula to even out the surface. Set in the freezer.

In the bowl of your food processor (I highly recommend to use a powerful food processor or high speed blender) add all the filling ingredients except the beet juice and blend until you get a soft consistency. Adjust sweetness to your taste but I think you won't need more than 3/4 cups of maple syrup to sweeten the mixture. Add in the beetroot juice gradually  until you get a nice pink color, I added one teaspoon to make sure the cake would still look very pink after setting in the freezer, but it's totally optional cause the raspberries already add a nice color to the mixture.

Pour half of the 'cheesecake' batter over the base, drop in a small handful of fresh raspberries and finish with the other half of mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it doesn't touch the surface of the cake (I cover the cake to prevent it from absorbing odors) and transfer to the freezer until it hardens, around 4 hours. 

Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to the fridge.

Garnish with fresh raspberries and, for a more frosty look, a bit of confectioner's sugar.