Raspberry Cheesecake bars by Celina Liya

When I turned vegan there were a few things that I had a hard time giving up; cheesecake and cheese. Both of those are now a part of the past. Especially the cheesecake one.
This cheesecake is a whole lot healthier than it's non-vegan counterpart, the crust even tastes healthier but is still just as sweet.
By adding raspberries in the top layer and coating the cheesecake with a raspberry sauce, it gives it that extra kick that I love from those cheesecakes that you get at the better lunch places.

Recipe

Crust:

Dry Ingredients

1 cup of oat flour
2 tbsps coconut sugar
2½ tbsps cane sugar
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt

Wet ingredients

3 tbsps melted cocout oil
2 tbsps mixed nut butter
2-3 tbsps water

Cheesecake layer:

1 cup soaked cashews
¼ cups unsweetened soy yogurt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsps water
1½ tbsps maple syrup
¼ tsp vanilla bean powder
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp corn starch

Berry topping:

1 cup of frozen raspberries (or berries of choice)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparations: Soak the cashews a minimum of 2 hours (preferably at least 4 hours or overnight) in warm water + ½ tsp sea salt.

1.Preheat oven to 375F / 190 C. Combine dry ingredients together.2. Add melted coconut oil and nut butter to the dry ingredients. You might need your hands to mix the batter properly. It should look like wet coarse sand.

2. Add melted coconut oil and nut butter to the dry ingredients. You might need your hands to mix the batter properly. It should look like wet coarse sand.

3. Add cold water 1 tbsp at a time and mix with a spoon until the batter is firm and can be easily rolled into a ball.

4. Line a small baking pan with parchment paper. Flatten the batter in the pan with your fingers or the back of a spoon until it is even.

5. Bake in 375F / 190C for 10 minutes.

While the crust is in the oven, prepare the cashew cream cheese filling:

6. Drain and rinse soaked cashews.

7. Add all filling ingredients except almond flour to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until the cashew cream is completely smooth.

8. Add 1 tbsp almond flour and mix with a spoon.

9. Pour cashew cream on top of baked crust.

10. Add raspberries on top of cashew cream and press the berries gently.

11. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until raspberries have melted into a jelly like consistency.

Let the raspberry cheesecake cool down in the baking pan. Cut into bars OR keep overnight in the fridge and cut into bars after chilling the cake. Enjoy! xo