I've been a huge skeptic of raw cheesecakes, even though they're everywhere it seems like right now. I'd never had one before this one, and given that they rely on coconut oil, which has a high melting point, to keep them firm, I figured that they all tasted like coconut.
Wrong!
I actually originally tried making this cheesecake with some tofu and agar powder and baked it. The results were okay, but nothing amazing, and the rooibos flavor seemed overpowered.
So then I tried making a raw rooibos cheesecake, and voila! Not only did it require fewer ingredients, the ingredients are not as exotic (no need to order agar on Amazon), and making the cheesecake has been significantly simplified. Win. Win. Win!
I don't know if this truly qualifies as a "raw" cheesecake, given that it has both tea (steeped traditionally with hot water) and alcohol. But here it is nonetheless. Regarding the rooibos tea, I used Rainbow Amaretto Rooibos (which gave me the idea to pair rooibos and amaretto) from the New Mexico Tea Company. However, as long as you have a rooibos that you enjoy drinking on its own, I think that should be fine for the cheesecake. I do recommend loose leaf tea over teabags, though.
Rooibos Cheesecake with Blueberry Amaretto Sauce
Makes: 10 servings
Time: 25 minutes active + 2 hours for the cake to set
For the Crust
2 cups walnuts
3/4 cups pitted dates
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a food processor, combine the walnuts, dates, and salt, and pulse until evenly ground, but still fluffy (i.e. don't grind until you have walnut butter). Transfer the crust to a 9-inch non-stick springform pan and press evenly with the bottom of a glass to create the crust.
For the Cheesecake
3 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
3 teaspoons loose rooibos tea + 1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup coconut oil
Boil the water. Place the tea in a tea ball or other straining device for brewing loose leaf tea. Remove the water from heat and steep the tea for 6 minutes. Remove the tea ball and discard the tea.
Strain the cashews. In a blender, combine the cashews, 1 cup tea, agave nectar, and coconut oil. Blend until completely smooth. You can continue to add more tea, little by little, to facilitate blending, but try to add as little extra moisture as possible (I used about 1 1/3 cup total). The time will vary depending on the strength of your blender.
Once smooth, pour into the pan on top of the crust. Tap the bottom of the pan a few times to remove bubbles, and place in freezer to set for at least 2 hours or overnight. Once the cheesecake has completely set, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. I found that the cheesecake remained firm enough in the fridge, but I would perhaps recommend cutting the cheesecake into slices after removing from the freezer and before putting in the refrigerator.
For the Blueberry Amaretto Sauce
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup amaretto
Blend blueberries and amaretto until smooth. Transfer to a container until ready to serve with cheesecake. When ready, drizzle over each cheesecake slice.
Nice! Rooibos tea in a cheesecake, never thought of that combination before but it sounds absolutely divine!
ReplyDeleteAww thank you Sofia! I have a fascination with putting tea into foods. If you try it let me know how you like it!
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