Raw Lemon Lavendar Cheesecake

Those of you who know me know I'm typically not a dessert person, and when there is dessert- please don't let it be chocolate. When I make something chocolate it's never for me, it's usually for my mom. Give me the lemons! Tart and tangy, or something light, fruity or floral please :). With that said, I've been dying to make this cheesecake. To me, I can't think of a better flavor profile than lemons and lavender. This really adorable child once said (and I never could shake the innocence of it) "they go together like two hands holding" and I would have to agree!

Crust:

1/2 cup dates

3/4 cup walnuts (soaked for at least 30 minutes)

3/4 cup almonds (soaked for at least 30 minutes)

Cheesecake:

3 cups cashews (soaked for 3 hours)

3/4 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup dark agave/honey/maple syrup

3/4 cup refined coconut oil, melted (aka South Florida's room temperature)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons dried culinary lavendar (you can order this on amazon if you can't find it at a market or don't grow it yourself)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or the seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean

In a food processor combine your crust ingredients, process until smooth, or until the mixture balls up in your machine- that's basically as smooth as you're going to get it! If you don't have a spring pan then make sure to line the inside of your cake pan with wax paper or plastic wrap, enough to have some hanging over the edges- you'll need this to successfully remove the cheesecake once it's done. If you do have a spring pan, just ignore that step. Using damp hands pat down the mixture into the bottom of the cake pan then place in the fridge while making your cheesecake mixture.

In a vitamix, or other super high powdered blender, blend all cheesecake ingredients until smooth and creamy, you want it to be as smooth as possible so you really need a good blender for this one. You will need to push the mixture down with a spatula, and possibly add a tiny bit of water too just to get it down blend down. Give it a taste, trust me, it's like heaven on a spoon. Then- using all your will power- put the spoon down and pour the mixture into the cake pan, smooth the top over as best as you can, place in freezer and allow it to set for a minimum of 3 hours. When you're ready to serve the cheesecake just carefully lift the edges of the wax paper/saran wrap and transfer to a nice platter (or just pop it out of your spring pan- those things are great aren't they??). Slice and enjoy :).

I recommend serving this with a cup of tea- ohhh, talk about perfection.  

Recipe from Rawmazing food blog