Raw Mango Cheesecake

This cheesecake was originally made for the Earth Element Retreat with Amanda Adey earlier this month. Mangoes are a beautiful Earth Element fruit due to its yellow colour (the colour of the Earth Element) but also as a sweet soft tropical fruit. 

Earth Element, from a food perspective, is all about eating slowly, calmly and reasonable sized portions, allowing the stomach and spleen to digest the food. It's also about sharing with community and family

How quickly times change. Only a few weeks later, we are all (at least should be) on lockdown, unable to share with friends and the wider community. But what could be more joyful than eating a plate of golden sunshine with those you live with, or even just for yourself! Mangoes are still available in the supermarket, just, but you can also find frozen mango if fresh is not available and is a great alternative. 

Because of this, I have made individual cheesecakes now, but for the Retreat it was a whole cake, sliced and shared amongst the attendees. Which they loved! Especially the little hit of mint to make the cake sing. 

Raw Mango Cheesecake

Makes 12 muffin sized cakes or a 20cm cake

Ingredients

Base:

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup shredded coconut 

3 dates 

1 tbsp coconut oil

 

Pinch cardamom 

 

Filling:

2 cups soaked cashews

1 mango

1/2 cup chilled coconut cream (thick top part, leave behind the water)

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

2-3 tbsp maple syrup - depending on how sweet the mango is, adjust to your tastes

Few sprigs of mint, leaves only

Pinch of salt

Pinch of turmeric (optional) to make the colour pop a little more

 

Topping:

Freeze dried blueberries

Sliced mango 

Coconut Yoghurt

 

Method

Base:

1. Blend base ingredients together except the dates. 
   
2. Once the mix is a rough crumb, add the dates and process until the mix sticks together. Some dates are softer and more moist than others. I tend to soak my dates in warm water for 10 minutes first to get the most out of them and so I can use less. 
   
3. When you reach a sticky consistency, press the base into your tin then place in the freezer to set. If using a large springform tin line with baking paper to make it easy to remove

Filling

1. Add all ingredients to your high speed blender. Once you have cut as much mango flesh off the stone, squeeze the stone in your hands over the blender to get every last drop of juice and flesh off the stone. Blend until the mix is smooth. 
2. Pour over the base and set in the freezer - a few hours for individual cakes or overnight for a large cake. 
3. These will last a week in the fridge or four weeks in the freezer. 
4. Top with sliced mango and/or freeze dried blueberries when ready to serve to avoid them going soggy.

 

Enjoy! 

Eating well is a form of self respect

 

Note: You can make this as a large cake or as individual cakes. For individual cakes, the recipe makes 12 and I use a silicon muffin tray. It's the easiest way to get them out, and if raw cakes are your thing I would suggest you start a collection of silicon trays and moulds.