Liana's Cashew Cheesecake

A glorious dessert for your Christmas celebration - or any time of the year.

Total time : 3 hours to soak nuts, 25 minutes preparation, 2 hours freezing
Serves: 16

Ingredients

For the Base

• 4 cups almond meal
• 5 tbsp maple syrup (or raw honey)

For the Cheesecake Filling

• ¼ cup lemon juice (approximately 1 large lemon)
• 1½ cups cashew nuts, soaked in water for 3 hours to soften
• 6 tbsp maple syrup (or raw honey)
• 6 tbsp coconut oil
• ½ tbsp pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Make the base. In a bowl, combine the almond meal and maple syrup (or honey). The mixture should be dry, but moist enough to hold together.
2. Turn the base mixture into a deep pie dish (large enough to hold 2½ quarts) and press it evenly to cover the bottom and sides of dish. Set aside.
3. Make the cheesecake filling. Put all the ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until filling is very smooth and light. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
4. Freeze for 2 hours. Once set, cut into slices and serve.

Tips:

• To make a smaller cheesecake, halve the recipe.
• Make Mini Cashew Cheesecakes by pressing down a little crust into each cupcake liner, and then pour in the batter.