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29

Feb

2008

Pomegranate Cheesecake with Clementine Gelato

Saved in:-   Desserts,Raw Food Recipes


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From Issue 7 of News From The kitchen

 

raw food cheesecake

 

For the base

1 cup cashews
2 tablespoons agave
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice

- First process cashews to flour.

- Add remaining ingredients and process again.

- Press into the bottom of a 9″ springform pan and place in fridge whilst working on filling.

For the filling

3 cups cashews, soaked for 1 – 2 hours
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup agave
1 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup beetroot juice (optional, just for colour)

- Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender under smooth.

- Pour on top of the base.

- Place in the freezer to set. Once it’s set, the cheesecake can be moved to, and stored in, the fridge until ready to eat.

For the Clementine Gelato

2 cups cashews
1/2 cup coconut butter/oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cup almond milk*
1 cup clementine juice
2 teaspoons clementine zest
Pinch salt

- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Taste for sweetness, you may need to add extra agave if your clementines weren’t that sweet.

- Pour mixture into a rectangular container and place in the freezer to set. Once set, pass through a juicer with a homogenising attachment on. Alternatively, you can pour the mixture (unfrozen) into an ice-cream maker.

*Almond milk is made by blending 1 cup of almonds with 3 cups of water, and straining through a nut milk bag or sieve.

 

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  • http://www.KristensRaw.com Kristen’s Raw

    Gorgeous food…as usual :)

    Have a lovely week!

  • Aj

    Yumm this looks amazing!
    how much cake does this make!?
    thanks so much for this recipe!
    :)

    From Russell: This will fit it a 9″ springform pan.

  • Tara

    Can you use anything besides cashews? I think those, and brazil nuts, are the only two nuts I cant stand! I was just wanting to make this and then surprise all my friends with the “That was RAW!” thing! It will be fun…

    From Russell: Hi Tara, I love this…I’m all about surprising people with raw food!

    What immediately springs to mind is almonds. It will have a different taste because almonds are so distinctive, but that’s not a bad thing. You’ll also have to peel them for best results. The easiest way to do that is to soak them for a while in water that’s been boiled…I don’t mean cook them, just pour boiling water on them.

    They will peel a lot easier like that, you’ll find that once you get the peeling technique you’ll be firing off one in each hand, simultaneously!

    Oh, and try a dummy run before you actually promise cheesecake to anyone, seeing as you’re using different nuts.

    Let me know how you get on.

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  • http://thecookedandtheraw.com Ali

    Hi Russell, your cheesecake sounds -and looks- great:)
    I have been experimenting with raw food for a while (I’m not a rawist but my diet is 50% cooked and 50% raw) and always have problems when recipes feature coconut oil because first, it’s something you cannot buy here in Italy and second, I don’t think I ever tried it and therefore don’t know its texture and if it can be replaced with any other oil. All the other oils I use are rather strong flavoured…any suggestions?
    Thanks.
    Ali

    From Russell: Hi Ali, the coconut oil is there, in the case of the cheesecake, to hold it together – coconut oil is more of a solid at the right temperature (when it becomes coconut butter). So substituting it for any other oil won’t work. You could try taking out the agave and adding dates instead, to hold the cheesecake a little more firm, in which case you may want to take out the water and do it all in a food processor instead. If it still doesn’t hold you could freeze it and thaw it slightly before serving.

  • Helen Weekes

    I have NEVER seen anything like this, I am amazed at your skills. I have a ‘rawfood’ favourites on my internet page that has about 60 sites and links, I have rawfood recipe books etc etc, but I have never seen anything like this. You are an original. Most books and sites have a basic core of the ‘same’ recipes. I can’t wait to come to one of your classes.
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Stacy

    Hi Russell,
    Is there something that I can substitute for the Pomegranate juice so that this tastes like a plain cheese cake? I am going to a vegan dinner, trying to introduce how a cheese cake can be raw by bringing one for everyone to eat, but don’t know if Pomegranate would be loved by everybody there…what would you recommend to make this taste like a plain cheese cake? I’d put fruit on the side as an option.
    Thanks for your help, I appreciate it :)

    From Russell: Hi Stacy, Simply leave out the pomegranate (and beetroot) juice and this’ll do a pretty good impression of cheesecake :-)

  • Barbara

    I just made this tonight and it is absolutely delicious!! It is very sweet, so a small piece goes a long way. I didn’t have the beetroot juice, so the color was off. Next time I’ll try and find the juice or add something else to give it the red color. But I have to say to everyone, TRY THIS! You’ll love it. And it was sooo easy to make. Took practically no time and set up really quick. Thank you Russell for sharing your recipe. I’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes.

  • Gwen

    I’m new to raw food and dying to try this! How long do you soak the cashews for the cheesecake?

    From Russell: Just for a few hours, or overnight, to soften them up.

  • planeta

    russel,
    how do I make raw pomegranate juice for the cake? or did you use organic pasturized juice….? thanks!!

    From Russell: you can juice the pomegranate seeds.

  • Diana

    Russell,

    I just recently went 100% raw. I am allergic to cashews & almonds. I can eat peanuts and pecans. Can I use these as substitutes.

    From Russell: You can use pecans, but generally peanuts are not used in raw food due to the toxins in them.

  • Green Diva

    This is gorgeous! Love the color.

  • http://www.purelyraw.com Chris

    This recipe is about 20% Raw! Come on Russell challenge yourself and make a nice dessert that is actually Raw.

  • http://www.welikeitraw.com Dhrumil

    Russell,
    Mad props. I’d eat like 15 of these.

  • mary gratjios

    could I substitute the clemintines in this recipe for anything else which is easy to find ?

    thank you so much
    regards
    Mary

    From Russell: Hi Mary, yes, you can substitute for any type of orange, satsuma or mandarin.

  • http://gotnomilk.wordpress.com kitchenetta

    What does it taste like? Does it taste like cheesecake? It certainly looks like it has the right consistency. Very yummy, indeed!

  • http://www.mindfulmealspc.com Emily

    This does look delicious but do you have the nutritional info? Reading the recipe I couldn’t help notice how much fat there is. And the comment about “only %20 raw”…I have to agree. Cashews have to be roasted before going to market so they’re never raw are they or they would be toxic. Should we be eating them at all? I would be inclined to use your almond suggestion.

    From Russell: I don’t have the nutritional info unfortunately. You can buy truly raw cashews that are mechanically extracted and are not exposed to the toxic resin, but if that’s not your thing then almonds would work great.

  • Rissa

    Did you use agave nectar or just straight agave ? Just checking before I go shopping. (I’m making this for my family’s Thanksgiving since my uncle is Raw and I don’t wanna mess it up!)

    From Russell: Hi Rissa, They are the same thing, ‘agave’ is just a shortened term for agave nectar. So go shop for ‘agave nectar’. Good luck with your Thanksgiving dinner.

  • http://crumendirastant.blogspot.com Nathalie

    Incroyable!! As we say in french. Now this is different! I will try this recipe for sure this week-end… I just love your Chef’s touch, please continue to feed our eyes as well as our taste buds! :)

  • http://deleted mimi

    hi russell: how do you get the juice from the pomegranate seeds. can you juice them or will the seeds just be ground up…how many pomegranates do you need to make 1 1/2 c juice? can you find the juice raw already squeezed? thanks for your help

  • http://massagewithlisa.com Lisa Erwin Dallas Texas

    Russell I made this yesterday to take to a birthday party. Most of the guests either were Raw foodist or had heard of it but there was a fair number who had never heard of raw food making.

    It was a complete HIT with everyone there! In fact the SAD food birthday cake hardly got touched and the cheesecake got wiped out!

    I of course gave you all the credit and told everyone about your site and how you’ve taken raw food recipes to a whole new height of perfection. Thank you so much.

    Lisa Erwin
    Dallas Texas

  • Nikki

    I just made this today and took it to my family’s Christmas eve dinner. Everyone was a bit hesitant to try it asking only for a bite at first. Then came the questions…what’s in this? WOW! This is awesome! Can I get the recipe from you? I made mine without the beet juice and it looked like a cement stepping stone one might put in a garden. I also did it last minute and so I didn’t put anything on the top. I will make it like the picture next time. This is a fabulous cheese cake and the great thing also is that it’s good for you. The kind of sweet treat you don’t mind sitting in your house. (It won’t last long) I hope everyone else enjoys this as much as I did. Thanks so much for sharing! Blessed Be!

  • Gosia

    Thank you so much for the recipe! This cheesecake is definitely my mom’s favorite and I will be making it again for my b-day today. It’s not only delicious, beautiful, it’s also very easy to make. Russel’s recipes rock! Can’t wait for the Mexican e-book :)

  • Tiff

    Wanted to let you know that I fell in love with the picture and idea for this recipe. I had a ton of pomegranates from my tree in the yard (lucky me!) and family coming over for a pre-holiday meal. It came out just as pictured and just as delicious. I used local mandarins instead of clementines. Still fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

  • Jennifer

    I was wondering if the coconut oil was measured in solid or liquid state? Thankyou, Im excited to make this for my husband. We eat raw and he would die if I surprised him with a raw cheesecake.

    From Russell: Either would be fine…hopefully he won’t actually die :-) Enjoy!

  • Nancy in Canada

    For those who are cautious re oil, the coconut oil (butter) in this and others of Russell’s recipes has health benefits that far out-weigh the “high fat” fears. There are many web articles out there on the wonderful benefits of this and other healthy fats. Enjoy natural food as it was meant to be! Thanks, Russell for your creative genius!

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  • jks

    What do I do with the topping? And when do I put them on?

    From Russell: just sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on when the cake is finished.

  • Victoria

    What would be a good substitution for the pomegranate juice and seeds? I would love to make this recipe but pomegranates aren’t in season right now.

    From Russell: Cherries or any berries would work great at the moment.

  • Paulina Smolinski

    Russell, this cake was incredible! I made it today for my friend’s birthday and all of my cooked friends were in love! As was I, thank you for making such wonderful food, I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted a cake as good as this :)

  • http://kurtandmelissa.blogspot.com K&M

    This dessert picture is probably my favorite raw food picture. It really just whets my appetite. It’s been on my list of desserts to make… ever since you posted it. I haven’t gotten around to making it, but fortunately, a friend of ours has recently started following your website and she made this cheesecake for a small group potluck on Saturday. It was incredible. The texture was perfect. The crust was perfect. I’d have to agree with Paulina (previous post); it is one of the best raw cakes I’ve ever tasted. I’m planning on making it soon.

  • Tatyana

    I tried to make it today and it didn’t work out. The crust was OK, the color was good, but the texture came out with crumbs from nuts and thin, it didn’t come out right. Could it be a blender? Do you I need a special equipment? I used a regular home food processor. Thank you so much.

    From Russell: If it had lumps of nuts in the filling then it would be that you need a more powerful blender.

  • Maria

    how do you get zest?

    From Russell: zest is the outer part of the skin so you can get a cheap ‘zester’ tool to get it.

  • Megan

    Love it! I tasted a cheesecake in a raw food restaurant and have been looking for a recipe ever since. This is perfect. Thanks.

  • Paula

    Hi Russell .. I love Pomegranate! When I saw this recipe I said to my mom we got to try it..but it came out soft.. me and mom exactlly like the recipe so what did we did wrong?? also My mom is asking do she put cream cheese? knowing its a cheesecake? Thanks a bunch!

  • DD

    The minute I put the agave nectar into the gelato I lost the taste of the clementine. Any suggestions?
    DD

  • http://www.therawchef.com Raw Food Recipes

    I would try adding some zest from the clementine too.

  • Lransing79

    Hi, I have made this recipe with the pomegranate and it was fantastic! I was wondering if you could substitute maybe blueberry or raspberry and get the same textural results?, or if it would be too watery and not flavorful enough? Thank You so much for sharing your knowledge and ideas, you are amazing!

  • http://www.therawchef.com Russell James Raw Food

    Yes, you could substitute those, remembering to take the beet juice out of the recipe.

  • susan

    thanks for sharing all these great recipes with everyone…. you are amazing
    Susan

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  • Rosie Battista

    Oh MY! I cannot wait to make this. It looks heavenly. I'll get back to you after I taste it! LOL. Thank you so much for providing such beautiful recipes for us to try.

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  • Catieb2

    What would happen if you substituted orange juice for the pomegranite juice, and added orange zest? Workable or mess?

  • Divine21view

    How do you get the cake out of the pan?

  • Tanya

    Hi Russell, I have held a banquet (for a lack of a better word:)) using your recipes. Everyone loved them, especially the pomegranate cake as it is dairy free and you can have a second helping without feeling guilty. Requests for this recipe followed and I have gladly referred them to your site. I loved the cake myself and think its better than normal cheesecake as you often feel bloated and heavy due to the high amounts of butter and dairy fat in it. It was a great way to introduce my family and friends to a raw food lifestyle as it showed that you can make yummy recipes and not just carrot and apple salads. Thanks for sharing your recipes!!!!

  • Sarahpaivarodrigues

    you are a god!

  • Lransing79

    Thanks! I am coming back to this recipe again, tomorrow I am going to attempt to sub carrot juice for the pomm, and add some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove to make a “Pumpkin Cheesecake”. I have had a lot of success with a raw version of Pumpkin Pie (big in the States!) and am really curious how this will turn out : ) I hope it’s tasty, it’s for a friend birthday..wish me luck!

  • http://www.therawchef.com Russell James

    Good luck! :)

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