Like many of my plans, my decision to do the Whole30 during the month of January was slightly ill planned– namely because it fell right during J’s birthday. But, as usual, J was a champ and stuck with me the whole time. While J and I were determined to follow the Whole30 for a full 30 days, there was no way I was letting his birthday go by without a little celebration and a little treat. And what better way to celebrate than with a sweet surprise?
This Paleo Raspberry Cheesecake has always been one of J’s favorites but I don’t make it nearly as often as he’d like. So I decided his birthday was the perfect occasion.
Needless to say, it was a hit! J was surprised, no one believed it was gluten and dairy free – and everyone wanted seconds!
- ½ cup almonds
- ½ cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp honey, melted
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 ½ cups cashews (soaked overnight)
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup honey, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 cup raspberries
- Combine the almonds, dates and sea salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until they become a crumbly texture (test the crust by spooning some out and rolling it in your hand, if the ingredients hold together its perfect)
- Scoop out the mixture into the bottom of a spring-form pan (if you don’t have a spring-form pan, use a pie plate lined with plastic wrap)
- Press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is even throughout
- Rinse the food processor/blender
- Combine the raw cashews, lemon juice, vanilla extract, coconut oil and honey in the food processor or blender, blend on high until smooth
- Pour ⅔ of the mixture into the spring form pan and smooth the filling over the crust with a spatula
- Add the raspberries to the remaining filling and blend on high until smooth
- Pour the rest of the filling into the spring form pan and smooth with a spatula
- Cover the "cheesecake" with plastic wrap and place in freezer until solid, about 3-5 hours
- To serve, remove from freezer 20 minutes prior to eating