Yesterday was a perfectly warm, sunny, cloudless Summer's day here in Sydney, and I spent it by the seaside at Nielsen's Park in Vaucluse, with good friends and good food. I wanted to make a deliciously summery but nutritious dessert, and lemon and coconut are basically a match made in heaven (kind of like banana and PB… mmm that's next on my to-make list). So here is the recipe for the lemon and coconut raw vegan cheesecake that some of you may have seen on instagram. Grab your loved ones and a picnic blanket, this cake is calling you.





Base:

3 cups of raw almonds
2/3 cup of raw oats
4-5 medjool dates
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
A splash of water
A tablespoon of agave/maple syrup/honey if you're not vegan (to bind it together perfectly)

Blend blend blend it up. Start off with the almonds and oats, and blend until you've got them at your desired consistency - some people like a more chunky base, I like mine pretty smooth, it's totally up to you! Add the dates, the coconut oil, the sweetener, and the splash of water to bind it all together. Pop it into a cake tin lined with baking paper (preferably one of those tins that unclips, so it's easy to get out) and push down on the base nice and hard to compress it all.



Lemony-Coconuty-Goodness Filling:

3 cups of raw cashews, soaked for around 3 hours
A big handful (or two) of shredded coconut
Juice of two lemons
2/3 cup of liquid sweetener of choice - agave, maple, honey if you're not vegan
A few medjool dates (for a little bit of extra sweetness)
2/3 cup of melted coconut oil

Start by blending the cashews up with the lemon juice, until it's a wonderful creamy consistency. Marvel at the wonders of a humble nut being able to transform in the way that it does. Add the rest of the ingredients, and blend really well. Pour the cashew cream onto the base, and pop it in the freezer for a few hours until it solidifies nicely. I left mine in overnight which worked fabulously, but a word of warning; don't try to cut it as soon as it's out of the freezer. You may or may not break a knife. Like I did. Oops. Sprinkle some more shredded coconut on top for extra prettiness.



Note: after its initial time in the freezer, I find just storing the cake in the fridge is perfect. As I learnt, it can even spend a few hours out of the fridge before it becomes a hot mess (we all know coconut oil melts in heat, right?). It still tastes good even then though ;)