*These Raw Strawberry & Coconut Mini Ice Cream Cakes are vegan, refined sugar free, dairy free, & gluten free.
I feel like once the warmer weather hits, all I post are strawberries. Cakes, ice creams, pies, you name it. I’m sorry, guys, I just can’t help it. They’re just so beautiful and photogenic, sweet and brightly flavored. I’m sure that come raspberry season, I’ll ease off a little.
But for now, it’s strawberries all the time. All day, every day. It’s just the way it is.
On to this weeks strawberry-based recipe (you can roll your eyes, I understand): Raw Strawberry & Coconut Mini Ice Cream Cakes.
Strawberry & coconut are the perfect warm weather combo. Especially in ice cream form.
This recipe is similar to a raw cheesecake, but I made each layer to be a little less thick than a traditional raw cheesecake so that the cakes would be frosty, cold, and creamy, but melt on your tongue like an ice cream.
The base of the cakes is made with shredded coconut and almond flour. It’s crunchy, sweet and nutty. The best part of the crust? The little pieces of freeze dried strawberry studded throughout. The strawberries are added in at the very end of processing the crust so that they stay in little pieces instead of getting blended into the whole mixture.
Once the crust is made, pressed into the mini cheesecake pans, and placed in the freezer, the coconut layer is made.
I used large flaked coconut in this layer and soaked it overnight along with the cashews (which give this layer it’s creaminess). This adds a bit of fresh coconut flavor to the mix without adding coconut milk. Just make sure you drain your cashews and coconut before adding them to the blender.
The strawberry layer of the cakes gets a double hit of strawberry – from the addition of both freshly pureed strawberries and crushed freeze dried strawberries. The freeze dried strawberries give a stronger strawberry flavor to the cakes without adding more liquid to the mixture, which would result in runnier cakes.
After freezing completely, the cakes are removed from their molds and topped with fresh strawberries and mint, coated in maple syrup. You could use honey instead, if you aren’t concerned with keeping the cakes vegan.
Notes:
*Soak the coconut and cashews overnight for best results. Thick, flaked coconut is best. If you forget to soak overnight, place the coconut and cashews in a bowl or jar and cover with very hot water. Let sit for an hour two, drain, and use.
*I know that not everyone has a mini cheesecake pan with removable bottoms. If this is the case for you, you can make these cakes in a jumbo muffin tin (6 wells) lined with jumbo cupcake liners, for results of the same size pictured here (about 3″ in diameter). Just peel the wrappers away before topping with strawberries and serving.
*These cakes can easily serve 2 people, each. For a smaller sized portion, use a 12 well mini cheesecake pan, or use a regular muffin tin lines with cupcake wrappers.
*Honey can be used in place of the maple syrup throughout the recipe, as can agave syrup.
*Keep in mind that the ingredient list is not as extensive as it seems. Many ingredients are used in each layer, such as coconut oil, cashews, coconut, lemon juice, salt, vanilla, etc.
More raw cakes?
Raw Key Lime Cheesecakes with Macadamia Coconut Crust
Black Bottomed Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Cheesecake
Raspberry Rose Mini Cheesecakes with Pistachio Crumble
- FOR THE CRUST:
- 1½ cup Shredded Coconut (unsweetened)
- 1½ cup Almond Flour
- large pinch of Sea Salt
- 5 Medjool Dates (pits removed)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1½ tablespoon Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Freeze Dried Strawberries, Chopped
- FOR THE COCONUT LAYER:
- ¾ cup Coconut Flakes (soaked - add them to the cashews when soaking)
- ⅔ cup Cashews, soaked
- Juice of ½ large lemon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- pinch of Sea Salt
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- ⅓ cup Coconut Oil
- FOR THE STRAWBERRY LAYER:
- 9 ounces Strawberries, pureed (run through a fine mesh sieve and discard seeds)
- ⅔ cup Cashews, soaked
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- juice of ½ large Lemon
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 2 tablespoons Freeze Dried Strawberries, crushed
- FOR THE STRAWBERRY TOPPING:
- ½ cup Strawberries, quartered (stems removed)
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup (or honey)
- 1 tablespoons Fresh Mint Leaves, cut into thin strips
- FOR THE CRUST:
- Place the shredded coconut, almond flour, salt, dates, vanilla, and coconut oil in the base of a food processor. Process until the dates are broken down completely and mixture sticks together when pressed. Add the freeze dried strawberries to the mixture and pulse just until strawberries are distributed through.
- Divide the mixture between the wells of a 6 well mini cheesecake pan (each well should be about 3" in diameter). Press the mixture down and smooth so that the crust is level. Place pan in the freezer while you make the coconut layer.
- FOR THE COCONUT LAYER:
- Place all ingredients for the coconut layer in a high speed blender and blend until very smooth and creamy - this may take several minutes. Pour the mixture over the crust layer in the cheesecake pan, dividing evenly between the wells. Place pan back in the freezer for ½ hour. Make the strawberry layer.
- FOR THE STRAWBERRY LAYER;
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until very smooth. Pour over the coconut layer in the cheesecake pan, dividing evenly between wells. Place pan back in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until cakes are completely frozen.
- FOR THE STRAWBERRY TOPPING:
- Place the strawberries, syrup, and mint in a bowl and toss together until combined.
- Remove pan from the freezer. Run a hot, wet dish towel around the base of each well, popping out when loosened. Peel away the metal circle on the bottom and place cakes on serving plate.
- Top with a heaping tablespoons of strawberry mixture.
- *Store ice cream cakes in the freezer.
- **top with strawberry mixture just before serving.
The post Raw Strawberry & Coconut Mini Ice Cream Cakes appeared first on The Kitchen McCabe.