I’ve made many amazing cakes, but this Strawberry Basil Vegan Cheesecake is one the best. The strawberry basil combination is just beautiful, very understated, soft and the texture is light as a feather.
It is a classic combination, yet it’s the first time that I’m trying these flavours in a dessert, what a beautiful Summer recipe they make.
It’s not a complicated recipe, but there are quite a lot of steps involved. You could make different variations of this cake depending on your time. Make it only with the strawberry layer and decorate with fresh strawberries. You could also make it as an 8″ cake, omit the piping decoration, that way you will have an even strawberry and basil layers. Or just make it as you see it, which I recommend :)
I’ve made the crust with almonds, sunflower seeds and dried figs, figs are not as sweet as dates and the flavours are more subtle which I think works really well with the rest of the flavours in this recipe.
The strawberry layer is a mix of cashews, coconut butter, lemon zest & juice, maple syrup and strawberries and tastes just so lovely.
The basil layer is a mix of cashews, coconut cream, coconut oil, lemon zest & juice, maple syrup and blanched basil. The coconut cream makes it lighter than coconut butter & I find it’s more smooth for piping. You have to blanch the basil first, only few seconds until just wilted to keep the vibrant green colour.
My basil frosting didn’t set into perfect pipable consistency in the fridge so I’ve left it in freezer for 1 1/2 hours, then I’ve whipped it with an electric whisk and it was perfect. I piped the frosting on top of the cake while still in the tin and then left it in freezer until solid. Only then I’ve removed the cake from the tin. That way it was defrosting the same time as the rest of the cake before serving. But you could also pipe the frosting just before serving if you prefer.
Enjoy the recipe & let me know how you like it :)
Strawberry Basil Vegan Cheesecake (grain-free)
Ingredients
Crust layer:
- 60g almonds (1/2 cup)
- 70g sunflower seeds (1/2 cup)
- 100g dried figs, about 5 large figs (1/2 cup)
- 1/4 lemon, zest
- pinch pink salt
- 1tsp maple syrup
Strawberry layer:
- 250g strawberries (2 cups)
- 120g cashews, soaked overnight (1 cup)
- ½ lemon, zest
- ½ lemon, juice
- 60ml maple syrup (1/4 cup)
- 1tsp vanilla
- 100g coconut butter (1/2 cup)
- 2tbsp coconut oil
Basil layer:
- 35g fresh basil (1 cup)
- 120g cashews, soaked overnight (1 cup)
- ½ lemon, zest
- ½ lemon, juice
- 60ml maple syrup (1/4 cup)
- 1tsp vanilla
- 1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- 60ml coconut oil (1/4 cup)
Instructions
- Prepare 6" round cake tin with removable base.
- Crust layer:
- Place almonds and sunflower seeds into a food processor and pulse few times until coarsely ground. Add dried figs, lemon zest and salt and blend until the mixture comes together. Finally add 1tsp of maple syrup and blend again. You should have a sticky mix when pressed together.
- Spoon the crust mix into the tin, spread evenly onto the base and press tightly down. Place into a fridge.
- Strawberry layer:
- In a double boiler gently melt coconut butter with coconut oil and set aside.
- Rinse the soaked cashews under running water and place into blender. Add strawberries, lemon zest, juice, maple syrup and vanilla and blend until smooth. Slowly add melted coconut butter and blend until incorporated. Make sure the mixture is at room temperature before adding the coconut butter.
- Spoon the mixture onto the crust layer and smooth out the top. Place into a freezer for about 2 hours or until set enough for the next layer.
- Basil layer:
- Gently melt coconut oil and set aside.
- Blanch the basil for about 20 seconds in a pot of boiling water. Immediately rinse under cold water or place into an ice cold bath. Squeeze the excess water out before using.
- Rinse the soaked cashews under running water and place into blender. Add blanched basil, lemon zest, juice, maple syrup and vanilla. Scoop the solid part from the can of coconut milk, add to the blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add melted coconut oil and blend until incorporated.
- Spoon up to a half of the mix onto the strawberry layer and place back into freezer preferably overnight until set. Spoon the rest of the frosting into a bowl and place into fridge.
- Once the cake is completely set take the frosting out of the fridge. If it's not in a pipable consistency place into freezer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Once it thickens whip the frosting with an electric whisk and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
- Pipe on top of the cake keeping the cake in its tin and place back to freezer to set again.
- Once set carefully remove from the tin and place onto a serving dish.
- Leave to thaw before serving.
- Store in a fridge or freezer.
Notes
Cover the cake with a layer of baking paper and cling film on top to prevent frost bite when in freezer.
This is such a delicious cake – just perfect for the summer! I loved the texture & the flavour combination works so well! One of the yummiest cakes I’ve ever tasted.
Thanks ever so much Teresa for your beautiful comment! I agree, it’s one of the loveliest cakes I’ve ever tasted too :) xxx
So beautiful and creative ! Never thought of combining basil with strawberries ! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much. It’s such a lovely combination :)
do you have any substitution idea for dried figs? thankyou! :)
Hi Mels, you can use medjool dates instead. Hope you like it :)
Thankyou! And probably coconut butterr can be substitute with anything else?
Hi Mels, you can make the filling as in my Raw Vegan Strawberry Tart recipe using coconut cream and coconut oil. Please check the instructions there. I tend to prefer the coconut butter, it makes the cake more solid in texture, but this version will work too, but might need serving semi-frozen. Hope it goes well :)
For how long would you need to store the strawberry layer in the fridge in case there is no option to keep it in the freezer to set?
Hi Dagi, ideally you want to set it in the freezer. But if you only have access to the fridge then I would add extra coconut butter and set it in the fridge overnight. The basil layer would need freezer I think. Hope it goes well :)
Hi Hana,
Thank you for sharing the receipt! Can I substitute maple syrup with honey?
Hi Sandra, yes, you can. Any light colour liquid sweetener will be fine. Hope you like it :)
Hi! Funny question but still… How come border of your cake is so smooth? Do you put the creme directly into cace tin or do you cover the sides of the tin with some kind of paper? :) Thanks! By the way – gorgeous looking cake!
Thank you so much! Yes, I use cake tin with removable base. I put the cake directly into the tin and then push it out once set and frozen. That way the surface stays smooth :)
Hi hi! I have a question about coconut butter in strawberry layer. I don’t know what that is, because I am familiar just with coconut oil, milk, flour and flakes :) So what exactly is coconut butter? Can you give me some link to the product you use? Or, can you make your own coconut butter? Or :), can you replace it with some other ingredient, maybe cacao butter? Thanks. BTW, I will be making this very soon, so please, answer asap :))) Thanks. Katja
Hi Katja, coconut butter is sometimes called coconut manna or creamed coconut. It’s basically blended desiccated (shredded) coconut into creamy butter which sets solid. You can make it yourself. I like to use it instead of coconut oil. Alternatively, you could set the cake with a mix of cacao butter and coconut oil. Hope this helps :)
Hi! I didn’t make it yet, because I have been waiting for you answer and I guess I missed it. You were really quick – thanks! :) So maybe I will try the mix of cacao butter and coconut oil instead (I making this for my mothers birthday and she don’t like the strong coconut taste) But I am afraid I will not get the right amounts :/ How much of each do you suggest? I melt both and mixed it in? thanks thank, you are the best :)
Hi Katja, I suggest you use 1/3 cup (80ml) cacao butter and 1/4 cup (60ml) coconut oil. I forgot to mention you could also use coconut cream and coconut oil as in my Raw Vegan Strawberry Tart. You can follow the amount in that recipe. The layer would be a little lighter. Either way, I hope it will work well for you and your mum will love it :)
Thanks Hana! You are so nice! ;) Stay well. K.
Can I use coconut cream instead of the coconut milk ?
I have one can which 35%far free. So looks like doesn’t feed on the recipe.
Hi Tanya, I’ve used the coconut cream from the can of coconut milk in this recipe. If you already have coconut cream, you can use that instead, some coconut creams are lighter than others. Best to refrigerate the can and then use the solid part only. Alternatively, increase the coconut oil. You just need to make sure it sets well.
can i use heavy cream instead of solid part of milk coconut can? If I allow to do this, how much should I use???
Hi Sheyda, I don’t think it would work. The coconut cream sets solid once chilled and together with coconut oil helps to set this cake.
Thank you for the amazing recipe!
You’re so welcome Gabi!
Hi Hana! Do you measure the cashews before or after soaking?
Thank you!
Patricia
Hi thank you so so much for putting out these recipes that are gluten free and dairy free! I am totally going to try this out.
This is so delicious! It was fun to make and the directions were spot on. Its beautiful too! Thanks for the recipe!
It’s so beautiful and such a wonderful taste! I made it for my daughter’s birthday and everyone loved it (including those who are not into vegan desserts).
Hi Hana, thanks for your wonderful recipes. They have delighted many people in my life!
My strawberry and basil crops haven’t aligned, and I’m trying to use what I grow.
I’m wondering if I could use frozen strawberries in this recipe. Thanks!
I tried this recipe over the weekend to mostly GREAT success – but the dried figs completely failed to stick to the almonds and sunflower seeds, and when I attempted to remove the cake from the spring-form pan, the crust layer crumbled everywhere. I was glad to use figs, because I’ve tried using medjool dates in other recipes and they are very sweet, so I was looking forward to the less sweet fig combination. Do you have suggestions on keeping the fig/almond/sunflower crust from falling apart?
THANKS! *all* my vegan friends were thoroughly happy to have pieces of the cake, so I was very popular, thank you!