I have been waiting for strawberry rhubarb season. Why? Because I have been in love with the combination of strawberries and rhubarb ever since my Grandmother would pick rhubarb from her garden in the spring and summer and make the most delicious strawberry rhubarb sauce that I would practically eat by the 32 ox jarful! My Grandma baked beautiful cakes and cookies as well, but my favorite dessert that she made was definitely this sauce. Plain or over vanilla ice cream. So now every year when the rhubarb is available, I am on it. I make more than sauce with it now however.
I decided this weekend that since I had tons of strawberries in my fridge, and there was rhubarb at the store, I had to buy some and make something with the two. The first thing that came to my mind? Dreamy raw cheesecake. What can I say, it is my favorite dessert of all time! A cheesecake with swirls...even better.
The filling for this cake was freaking amazing before I even put it in the fridge to set! I was a happy girl licking all the excess from the bowls (I never simply rinse excess cake batter down the drain, that would be a waste of my favorite thing)! I could not wait to dive into the finished product.
4 hours seems like such a long time, but so worth the wait on this one. It was pure joy that I experienced biting into my first taste of the goodness! Strawberries and rhubarb, oh how I have missed you! This was the perfect way to be reintroduced!
Raw Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
Makes one 6 inch cake
3/4 cup dried finely shredded coconut
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
10-12 soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped (if they are not soft, soak them in water until they are and drain them well)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
"Roasted rhubarb"
2 cups organic rhubarb, sliced
1 Tbsp raw coconut nectar
Strawberry Puree:
1 cup fresh organic strawberries
1 cup of the "roasted" rhubarb
2 medjool dates, pitted (and soaked in water until soft if not soft)
a pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Filling:
4 cups young coconut meat*
1/2 cup coconut water
2/3 cup raw coconut nectar, or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract and seeds from half a vanilla bean
3/4 cup
raw coconut butter (warmed to liquid)
1 cup fresh organic strawberries
1/2 cup of the "roasted" rhubarb
1 tsp beet powder (optional for color)
additional 1 Tbsp coconut butter
Fresh strawberries and shaved rhubarb for decorating
Lightly coat a 6 inch spring form removable bottom pans with coconut oil. To prepare the crust, process flax, coconut, buckwheat and sea salt in a food processor until fine crumbs, then add the dates and cardamom and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers (if not holding together, add more dates). Firmly press crust into the bottom of the prepared pan, and set aside.
For the "roasted rhubarb", toss the rhubarb with the coconut nectar and place on a lined dehydrator tray. Tent a piece of foil over it. Dehydrate until softened, about 4-6 hours. You will be using this both for the puree and the filling and it will shrink down a little.
For the strawberry rhubarb puree, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
To make the filling, in a high speed blender or food processor, combine coconut meat and water, coconut nectar, sea salt, and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. With the processor running, add the coconut butter and and process for a minute until blended. Divide the mixture into two bowls. Add one back to the food processor and add the strawberries and rhubarb. Blend until smooth.
To assemble cheesecake, drop the fillings over the crust alternating the vanilla and the strawberry rhubarb and after every layer of filling drop the puree by the tsp over that.
Once the pan is full, tap the bottom on the counter to level, and swirl with a knife in a spiral from the outside in to the center, then a toothpick if you want more intricate swirls.
Place in the freezer for about 4 hours to firm up.
Once the cake has chilled, Garnish the top with fresh berries and shaved rhubarb before serving.
*If you do not have access to young coconut meat and you do not mind the recipe not being nut free, you can substitute 4 cups raw cashews soaked for 4 hours and drained in the filling.
