Beautiful to look at – even better to eat! This lilac dessert is a delicate raw vegan cheesecake with beautiful floral accents and gorgeous purple maqui berry swirls. The recipe is also gluten-free and grain-free and refined sugar-free.

Lilac Dream Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS: 

CRUST

• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 soft medjool date, pitted
• ½ tbsp maple syrup (or a raw sweetener of your choice)
• ½ tbsp coconut oil (use an unscented kind, so no coconut taste)

FILLING

• ¾ cup raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained*
• 5 tbsp lilac water** or plant milk
• 4 tbsp maple syrup (or a raw sweetener of your choice)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (I used an unscented kind, so no coconut taste)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh lilac flowers
• ½ tbsp maqui berry powder

TOPPINGS

• fresh lilac flowers, a few wild strawberry blossoms

METHOD:

1. Process all crust ingredients in a food processor into a sticky crumble. Transfer into a 5"/13cms springform pan and press down into an even crust, lightly raising it around the edges just a bit. Place in the freezer while working on the next step.
2. Blend all filling ingredients except for lilac flowers and maqui in a power blender into a smooth cheesecake consistency. Add the lilac flowers and blend them in. Remove and set aside about ⅔ of this mixture. Add the maqui powder to the ⅓ of the mixture remaining in the blender and blend until smooth. Spoon the mixtures into the springform pan over the crust, alternating between the purple and white mixture until you run out. Lightly swirl the two mixtures together with a spoon or a skewer.
3. Freeze the cake for 4-5 hours or overnight to set. Decorate with fresh lilac flowers prior to serving and enjoy! Can thaw out for 15 mins or so for a softer texture or enjoy straight out of the freezer.