vegan lavender cheesecake — tales of grit & grace

So, this year I was invited to a Friendsgiving in a town about an hour away, and originally, I’d said no. Or maybe I said nothing because I was waiting to see if I was going to have to say no. Either way, I was decidedly not prepared to attend a party, much less bring a fancy dish, when I messaged the host to ask if the invitation was still open. “Yes! People will start arriving around 12:30 or 1.” Shit! It’s 11:30 and I’m still slinging ponytail sweat from my run. “Okay, I have to take the world’s fastest shower and I’ll throw a dessert together and be out the door in 20 minutes.” Oh, what an ambitious statement that was…. Hell, I was toweling off and still had no idea what I’d even make?! Minutes later, I’m standing in front of the open fridge, freshly washed hair dripping everywhere, when I remembered seeing a no-bake cashew cheesecake online. It was perfect! I could just blend a couple of things, throw it into the pan, and not even worry about cooking time. Again with the exact soft of “I’ve totally got this” ambition that inevitably leads to catastrophe.

So, if you’ve ever made a nut-based cheesecake, you know that you need to soak (or boil for a few minutes, which is what I did) a bunch of nuts overnight, add it to a high speed blender with a handful of other ingredients, and whiz the shit out of it until it’s nice and smooth. It takes about a minute from the time you hit the start button until your filling is done. The crust is super easy: raw nuts and some dates in the food processor, and then you press into your pan and pour the filling on top. Seems easy and like it absolutely shouldn’t involve frantically scraping peanut butter cheesecake filling off of your ceiling, right? Well, it is, and, in my case, it does.

rapid fire text: ‘20 minutes was too ambitious. leaving in another 10. cleaning peanut butter off my ceiling quickly.’

So, with a new set of ingredients and the Vitamix lid securely in place, I was able to blend and pour everything right into the crust. Yep. I’ve got this now. I’m doin’ alright. (more ambition. more optimism. more pollyanna). I gave Murray Dog a hurried pat on the head, grabbed my keys and the peanut butter cheesecake round two, and headed out the door. And THAT’S when I realized that these things probably need some freezer time to be sliceable. That’s okay, though, because I’m nothing if not the MacGyver of culinary catastrophes; so I sat the cheesecake on the passenger’s side floorboard, secured it with a couple of yoga towels, and drove the 64 miles with the floorboard vents blowing cold air on full blast. I’m really not sure why I wasn’t a big 80s drama prime time star. Oh yeah… because floorboard vents aren’t the same thing as a freezer, which I learned as we scooped the peanut butter cheesecake out with a spoon and watched it drip onto the plates.

Anyway, that delicious disaster sparked an idea (and perhaps a little bit of dammit, I can do this!), so this week, I decided to give the raw vegan cashew cheesecake another go. I’ve had this bag of culinary lavender hanging out in my pantry for a few weeks, so I decided to try something unique this time. Also, I’m starting to plan for this local yoga retreat collaboration and am recipe testing fancy dessert ideas, and nothing says fancy like flowers in your food. In any event, this cheesecake - or mini cheesecakes, as I used muffin tins - turned out beautifully. Funny what a freezer can do for you, isn’t it? These were a hit among my group of taste testers, but we’d love to hear what you think. If you try it out, leave a comment below about your experience. You never know… you may save someone’s ceiling from getting stained.

for the filling
1 1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight or boiled for five minutes
1 vanilla bean scraped
1 tsp maqui or acai powder (optional, but it gives that hint of berry flavor and the purple hue)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp + 1 Tbs dried lavender
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

for the crust
1 cup walnuts
3/4 cup medjool dates
1/8 tsp sea salt

1) Lightly spray a 9 inch cheesecake pan or regular size 12 hole muffin tin. *see note below
2) For the filling, place all of the filling ingredients except for 1 Tbs of the dried lavender in a high speed blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy.

raw vegan lavender cheesecake — maqui powder, lavender, & vanilla bean

go together like peanut butter & jelly

3) For the crust, pulse the walnuts and sea salt in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the dates and continue pulsing until a loose dough forms (it should stick together if you pinch it).

vegan raw lavender cheesecake crust — date & walnut crust

with little pull tabs that didn’t work

4) Press the crust into the prepared pan or muffin tin, and then pour the filling over the crust. If using a muffin tin, the filling should land within approximately 1/4 inch from the top. Tap the pan to the counter lightly a few times to remove any air bubbles.
5) Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbs dried lavender on top of the cheesecake(s) and then cover with cling wrap and freeze until hard - approximately 4-5 hours.

6) Loose with a butter knife or pull tabs to free the cake(s). Serve immediately or let thaw for 10 minutes.

notes: I cut 1/2 inch strips of parchment paper and made tabs in my muffin tins to make the release easier. It didn’t. Next time, I’ll make the tabs longer, so I can pull from both sides of the cakes. If you have another trick, please share!

for the filling
1 1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight or boiled for five minutes
1 vanilla bean scraped
1 tsp maqui or acai powder (optional, but it gives that hint of berry flavor and the purple hue)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp + 1 Tbs dried lavender
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

for the crust
1 cup walnuts
3/4 cup medjool dates
1/8 tsp sea salt

1) Lightly spray a 9 inch cheesecake pan or regular size 12 hole muffin tin. *see note below
2) For the filling, place all of the filling ingredients except for 1 Tbs of the dried lavender in a high speed blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
3) For the crust, pulse the walnuts and sea salt in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the dates and continue pulsing until a loose dough forms (it should stick together if you pinch it).
4) Press the crust into the prepared pan or muffin tin, and then pour the filling over the crust. If using a muffin tin, the filling should land within approximately 1/4 inch from the top. Tap the pan to the counter lightly a few times to remove any air bubbles.
5) Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbs dried lavender on top of the cheesecake(s) and then cover with cling wrap and freeze until hard - approximately 4-5 hours.
6) Loose with a butter knife or pull tabs to free the cake(s). Serve immediately or let thaw for 10 minutes.

notes: I cut 1/2 inch strips of parchment paper and made tabs in my muffin tins to make the release easier. It didn’t. Next time, I’ll make the tabs longer, so I can pull from both sides of the cakes. If you have another trick, please share!