Raspberry Cacao Cashew Cheesecake

Another Valentine's Day treat!!  This Raspberry Cacao Cashew Cheesecake is easy to make and requires no baking!  The cashews take the place of cream cheese and the citrus provides the classic tangy flavor of cheesecake.  The raspberry layer gets some added pink color from a couple slices of beets--but you'd never know!

Raspberry Cacao Cashew Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup medjool dates
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cheesecake:

• 2 cups soaked raw cashews
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• Zest of one orange- about 1-1/2 Tbsp
• 2 tsp orange juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
• 2 Tbsp raspberries- either fresh or frozen
• 2-3 slices of beet- either fresh or frozen

Instructions

Soak the raw cashews in a large bowl of water overnight.  To start, line a 9x9 baking pan with plastic wrap. Grease lightly with coconut oil. In a food processor, process the almonds until they're finely chopped. Combine all other ingredients and process until well-combined. Press into the baking pan.

Place the cheesecake ingredients in a food processor and combine until smooth. Take out about half of the batter and set aside.  To make the raspberry portion, add raspberries and beets and process until combined. Then mix the raw cacao powder into the other portion. I made stripes with the different flavors, but layers would work well too.  Set in the freezer for about an hour before serving.  Store in the freezer or refrigerator.  Enjoy!!