15 May Passion Fruit and Gooseberry Cashew ‘Cheese’ Cake

Passion Fruit and Gooseberry Cashew Nut Cheese Cake recipe was made by Amy van der Merwe of AnEarthenLife.com.

“Whatever your occasion may be; Mother’s Day, Sunday lunch, a birthday celebration or even a baby shower everyone loves a piece of cake with their coffee or tea as a special treat. I thought I’d make a fresh goose berry and passion fruit cashew ‘cheese’ cake and decorate it with dried naartjie, which tastes so much like marmalade (one of my moms favourites).
Don’t be put off by how decorative this cake is. The cake itself is super simple, I have always thought that I’m not good at making sweet treats, but raw desserts are a different story! They just seem to work.
I have included the bliss balls and chocolate sauce in the instructions and ingredients, but not the topping gooseberries, passion fruit and dried fruit as you can leave them out and just add whatever you have.”

INGREDIENTS:

FILLING:

First Blend:

• 800 g raw cashews – soaked over night
• 1 cup coconut cream – kept in the fridge and only the cream scooped out
• 1/2 cup agave syrup ( you can sub for honey or maple syrup)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 30 mls lemon juice

Second blend:

• 1/2 cup gooseberries
• 4 passion fruit pulp
• 1 Tbs lemon juice

BASE:

• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup Gluten Free oats
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 pinch salt

TOPPINGS:

Chocolate sauce:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cacao
• 80 ml agave syrup

Bliss balls:

• 300 g dates chopped
• 100 g almonds
• 80 ml cacao

METHOD:

1. Drain cashews and keep the water – add all the ingredients from the First Blend together and blend until smooth. If you need to add a little left over water you can, but no more than 125 ml. Take your time and be patient, it will blend but may need some time.
2. Place all the Base Ingredients into a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Check the consistency by squeezing a bit together and see if it sticks together.
3. Rub coconut oil all over a spring form pan then line the bottom with a circle of wax paper, and the sides with a strip.
4. Line the bottom of the pan with the base blend and press until it is compressed along the bottom and at an even thickness all over. Then pour in half the cheese cake mix, flatten out and place in the freezer.
5. Then in the blender add in the pulp and juice of 4 passion fruit and 1/2 cup gooseberries halved to the remainder of the cheese cake mix, and blend again. This should make a slight yellow tinge for the top layer.
6. Pour the rest of this liquid over the other one and place in the freezer. If you have any left place it in a piping bag for decoration later. Place this in the fridge to set a bit.
7. At this point you can follow your own creative whims and decorate it as you please. It can last in the freezer for a week (probably more) and then take it out and thaw in the fridge and it will be good as new.

If you want to decorate as I did follow below:

1. In a food processor place all the Bliss Ball ingredients and blend until a course sticky texture. You should be able to stick it together in a ball in your hand like the base. Roll into different sized balls for decorating.
2. In a pan on the stove heat up the oil for the Chocolate Sauce. As soon as the oil has melted turn off the heat or take the pan away from the heat then use a whisk and add in the agave syrup and cacao powder. Mix until smooth, but still pourable. If it gets too thick you can add in more oil or visa versa with the cacao powder. Pour this into a squeezy bottle and pipe around the edge of the cake. It should set straight away as the cake will still be cold.
3. On the top, pipe on the left over filling, dot some chocolate sauce and dot around goose berries, bliss balls, dried naartjies and persimmons. I also sprinkled over some passion fruit pulp and cacao nibs.

Send us photos of your creations!