So Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and we all need a little something pink and heart shaped in our lives (totally make this if you’re single by the way) and I can’t think of anything better than my Raw Vegan Pitaya Cheesecake. This isn’t any ordinary raw cheesecake though – the base is a soft, cake-like but shortbread-y base and the cheesecake filling has a silk like, melt in your mouth texture with a rich and creamy taste all thanks to the young Thai coconut meat.
This heart shaped Raw Vegan Pitaya Cheesecake is perfect for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and other special occasions. A buttery shortbread crust topped with a silky, melt in your mouth pitaya filling.
This was my first time playing with young coconut meat – I usually order from Ocado and I stumbled across the brand Mighty Bee who sell only organic young Thai coconut products. I’ve always wanted to get my hand on some without the fuss of having to hack the coconut up myself (because I’m useless at it) so the little frozen pouches were perfect. All you have to do is thaw them out gently which you can do my simply placing the plastic pouch into some warm water. You’ll also enjoy the added benefit of the living enzymes, protein, fibre, and calcium that young Thai coconut meat contains too.
But the real star ingredient is the freeze dried pitaya (dragon fruit) powder that I acquired from the lovely and generous folk at Hybrid Herbs! I have become just a little bit obsessed with this stuff (see my Raw Vegan Coconut Ice) as it has the most vibrant magenta colour ever and a beautiful, delicate pear/melon taste to it. I think sometimes the hardest part of clean eating is missing out on all of the ridiculously psychedelic artificial colourings that most natural products can’t provide so it’s so nice to finally come across a product that can be used to naturally colour my food. Pitaya is also particularly nutrient dense – it’s high in antioxidants and dietary fibre and also vitamins C, B1-B3, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and even Omega-3 fatty acids! (The Hybrid Herbs Pitaya Powder retails at £19.99 for a 56g pouch (about 56 servings) but is currently on sale for £14.99 so grab yourself a bargain whilst you still can!)
I’ve designed this cheesecake to be shared because I think it makes it a much more intimate experience but you could always split the mixture between 2 smaller tins if you wanted to. I’ve also popped in a couple of optional ingredients – rose water for a more floral taste and freeze dried raspberry powder if you’re one of those people that like things zesty (which I do). Neither of these ingredients are needed as the cheesecake tastes rich and creamy as it is. The other two ingredients are best suited to those that like big, bold flavours!
This Raw Vegan Pitaya Cheesecake doesn’t take much time to make – about 20 minutes – but it does take around 3 hours to set in the refrigerator, making it perfect for that crazed Valentine’s dinner rush. To make this you’ll need a little springform heart shaped cake tin – I bought mine from Ocado. Also if you want to make your own heart chocolates then this is the mould that I used. You can easily just melt down your favourite raw chocolate of choice and leave to set.
Looking for other Valentine’s Day sweet treats? Start off your Valentine’s Day with a batch of my Raspberry and Rose Water Paleo Overnight Oats and have a little nibble on some Raw White Chocolate Raspberry Truffles or Strawberries and Cream Paleo Power Balls whilst you’re waiting for dinner!
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ⅛ cup ground almonds
- A small handful of cashews (approx. 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp)
- 1 tbsp light agave/maple syrup/coconut nectar
- Pinch vanilla powder
- Pinch Himalayan pink salt (if coarse grind)
- 1.5 tsp almond milk
- ½ cup pre-soaked cashews (soaked for at least 8 hours or overnight)
- 100g organic virgin young Thai coconut meat (I use Mighty Bee)
- ¼ cup almond milk
- ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
- 25g cacao butter (melted)
- 3 tbsp light agave/maple syrup
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Hybrid Herbs Pitaya Powder
- 1 tsp freeze dried raspberry powder (optional)
- 1 tsp non-alcoholic rose water (optional - I use Steenbergs)
- ¼ tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract (I use Ndali)
- Pinch fine Himalayan pink salt
- Raw chocolate (melted)
- Dried rose petals (I use Steenbergs)
- Fresh rose buds
- Freeze dried raspberries
- Start by greasing and lining your heart shaped cake tin with greaseproof non-stick paper. Set to one side until needed.
- Combine all of the ingredients for your shortbread base in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until it only just comes together into crumbs. Pour the shortbread into your cake tin and gently press down with your fingertips to form the base. You want to be gentle but firm enough so that the crumbs form a solid base but not so firm that it becomes too dense. Place the base into the freezer whilst you prepare your filling.
- Next add all of the ingredients for your filling into a high speed blender. Pulse a few times before blending until smooth. Remove your base from the freezer and pour in your filling. Place the cheesecake into the fridge for 3 hours or until set.
- Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and carefully release from the springform tin. Gently peel away the layers of paper that you lined your tin with and place your cheesecake onto a plate.
- Drizzle with melted raw chocolate right away and top with freeze dried raspberries and a fresh rose bud if desired. Enjoy!
***All cup measurements used are UK cup measurements and so 1 cup = 250ml.
38 Comments
Amy Lyons
3rd February 2017 at 12:06 amThis is so pretty :)! Love it!
greensofthestoneage
11th February 2017 at 2:40 pmThank you so much Amy xx
Renee Kohley
6th February 2017 at 7:25 pmSooo pretty! I can’t believe you can do this with all real ingredients! Thank you for the great Vday idea!
greensofthestoneage
11th February 2017 at 2:49 pmThank you so much Renee! I think I’ve found my niche with raw cheesecakes now haha! I will totally be making this for myself on V-Day now! xx
Tina T.
7th February 2017 at 8:32 pmOh man, this looks so good! Love that it’s vegan too so I can make it for my vegan friends!
greensofthestoneage
11th February 2017 at 2:31 pmYays! I love vegan food! I would love to actually be vegan but that’s so hard to do when you’re Paleo haha! xx
thecastawaykitchen
7th February 2017 at 9:43 pmBEAUTIFUL!!!!!!
greensofthestoneage
11th February 2017 at 2:29 pmThanks lovely xx
ChihYu
8th February 2017 at 9:22 pmOh my goodness ! This color is ridiculously gorgeous !! LOVE IT !!
greensofthestoneage
11th February 2017 at 2:29 pmEeeee thank you so much! Pitaya is so much fun to play with – over here our dragon fruits are only ever white on the inside!
michelespring2014
8th February 2017 at 11:10 pmNow you’ve really got me intrigued with this pitaya powder – I’ve never had it (I’ve had dragon fruit, but not this powder). But after two amazing looking desserts you have me wanting to try it! This dessert is gorgeous though and looks so delicious!
greensofthestoneage
11th February 2017 at 2:28 pmThanks so much for the kind words Michele! It is honestly the most fun I’ve had with an ingredient for a while – love vibrant colours. Speaking of which I can’t wait to try out those Love Heart Cakes you made the other day <3
Katja
9th February 2017 at 8:01 pmWHOA! This looks AMAZING! I may have to try out pitaya powder.
greensofthestoneage
11th February 2017 at 2:27 pmOoooh thank you so much Katja! It is literally the yummiest stuff ever and makes everything the best colour!
Kari - Get Inspired Everyday!
12th February 2017 at 4:30 amThis is incredible! I love the vibrant color, I’ll have to be on the lookout for some pitaya powder!
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:02 pmThank you Kari – you’d love this for sure! No idea where to buy in the US though?!
Becky Winkler (A Calculated Whisk)
12th February 2017 at 6:10 pmSo vibrant and beautiful! I still haven’t tried pitaya and need to get my hands on some ASAP.
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:08 pmThanks Becky you’d love pitaya powder x
Vanessa Woozley
12th February 2017 at 9:17 pmJust WOW, I’ve already shared this it looked too pretty not to. What a beautiful picture and recipe!
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:07 pmOh my god thank you so much for sharing Vanessa and for the kind words. It’s definitely a tasty cheesecake hehe x
Carrie on Living
12th February 2017 at 10:35 pmThis looks amazing!
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:02 pmThanks Carrie x
Healy Eats Real
12th February 2017 at 10:40 pmSo tasty and delicious!
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:01 pmThanks Healy x
Jessica
13th February 2017 at 12:45 amThis cheesecake is so pretty! The inside looks creamy and delicious! What a perfect Valentine’s treat.
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:05 pmThank you so much Jessica – yes the texture is sooo creamy and decadent. Thanks for stopping by x
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish
13th February 2017 at 1:54 amThat color!!! Oh my goodness it’s gorgeous! This would be such a fun treat to enjoy on Valentine’s Day!
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:04 pmThanks Emily it was definitely delicious – Pitaya power all the way! x
amyrains1
13th February 2017 at 2:36 amGORGEOUS!!! Looks almost too pretty to eat! I love the vibrant colors, and now you have me totally intrigued on this pitaya powder.
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:05 pmThank you so much Amy – yes please do try and find some! You’ll have so much fun x
taeshabutler
13th February 2017 at 3:53 amOh my gosh, that color! So beautiful and delicious sounding!
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:01 pmThanks Taesha! I am obsessed with this stuff at the moment (and raw cheesecake) x
Erin
13th February 2017 at 3:56 amLove that vibrant pink color!
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:00 pmMe too Erin! It’s totally hypnotising x
Stacey Crawford
13th February 2017 at 3:55 pmThese are just lovely, so pink and pretty for Valentine’s Day! Perfect!
greensofthestoneage
13th February 2017 at 5:00 pmI don’t normally like pink but this is too pretty not to! Thanks for the lovely comment Stacey x
Fresh Planet Flavor (@freshplanetflvr)
15th February 2017 at 2:26 amSooo gorgeous n’ sexy. Way to go!
greensofthestoneage
6th March 2017 at 3:23 pmAwww thank you so much Rachel <3