Blueberry Lavender Cheesecake with Muscat Grape

Hannah Sunderani
Sep 6, 2017
4 min read

Okay here we have it: the most tantalizing vegan cheesecake known to man kind. This sweet Blueberry Lavender Cheesecake with Muscat Grape is, dare I say, even MORE delicious than it looks! Made with a nutty almond oat base, lavender-vanilla cashew cream cheese in between, and a layer of lavendar-blueberry cashew cream to top; this vegan cake screams heaven in a slice. I've then decorated it with muscat grapes because; tis the season. I love how these grapes add another floral flavour taking it to the next level of bliss.

I decided to create this recipe after making my Fig and Raspberry Cheesecake. Having been the most delicious cheesecake I've made to date I realized that I simply needed more cake in my life! And so, come 9 p.m. last Friday night, after an hour long soak in the tub to an episode of The Good Wife, it dawned on me that the only way to perfect this ideal night would be cake!

This time I decided to use purple as my colour of choice, bringing in blueberry, lavender and grape to the mix. The process for making this cake was much like my Fig and Raspberry Cheesecake. I started by processing the nuts and oats until it turned dough-like, then I spread it along the bottom of a rectangular pan with removable bottom. I used the same base ingredients for cashew cream cheese as well. This time adding lavender to the classic mix, and a few blueberries to bring out that pretty purple hue. I then topped the cake with sliced muscat grape and went to bed dreaming in purple.

Come morning I opened the freezer to a glowing gorgeous purple cake. I could hardy wait to slice it open. So, I didn't! My rule of thumb: On weekends we can eat cake for breakfast! And since I'm a rule abiding citizen I got to slicing!

Biting into this cake felt much like I was dreaming of heaven. The perfect sweet and creamy layers with delicate floral flavours were something out of a fairytale! Each bite was pure bliss. I will admit that the amount of cake this recipe yielded was enough to feed a small army. I'd say at least 12 people could have had their own comfortable slice. But, I was completely content with it being all just for me! When it's this good, there is no amount of cake in the world that is too much.

So I strongly encourage you to treat yourself to this slice of heaven. Because nobody should ever be without cake! After all, it's somebodies birthday somewhere.

Blueberry Lavender Cheesecake with Muscat Grape

Serves: 12| Prep Time: Overnight + 1h (1h active prep) | Freeze Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

For the oaty-almond crust

1 cup almonds
1 cup gluten-free oats
5 soft medjool dates, pits removed
4 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
pinch cinnamon

For the cashew cream cheese:

1 ½ cups (210g) cashews, soaked overnight, and strained
1 cup (240ml) organic coconut milk
¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
2 tbsp lemon juice (½ lemon)
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) vanilla extract
1 tsp dried lavender
pinch salt
~ 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, reserved for second half of the batch
1 cup (200g) muscat grapes, for topping

Directions:

In a food processor add almonds, oats, dates, coconut oil, salt and cinnamon. Process until the ingredients become dough like in texture, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, approx. 7-10 minutes.
Transfer crust to a non stick cake pan with removable bottom. (I used a 12x7 inches rectangular cake pan. A smaller pan will work; yielding a higher cake). Press down on the crust to make an even layer throughout the bottom.
In a blender add the ingredients of cashew cream cheese: soaked cashews (strained), coconut milk, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, dried lavender and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy, approx. 5-7 minutes. Pour 1/2 the cashew cream filling over the crust, reserving the second half for the blueberry layer. Smooth until even. Gently bang the spring form pan against work surface a few times to release any bubbles. Place in freezer to freeze this layer until completely frozen, approx. 2 hours.
Next add the blueberries, bit-by-bit, to remaining 1/2 of cashew cream cheese while blending. Continue adding blueberries until you’ve reached desired purple colour. (I used 1/4 cup frozen blueberries).
Pour the purple cashew cream filling over the frozen white layer of cake and smooth until even. Gently bang the spring form pan against work surface a few times to release any bubbles.
Slice muscat grapes in half, remove the seeds, and decorate the top of the cake with grapes. Place in freezer to freeze until completely frozen, approx. 2 hours.
When ready to serve, remove cake from the freezer and let thaw 20 minutes. Use a sharp knife to slice into 12 slices, for optimal taste let the individual slices sit for another 10-15 minutes before serving.