Frozen Pomegranate and Cashew Cake

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Meet our vegan version of a Christmas cheesecake. Instead of cream cheese, we use soaked cashews that when blended become super creamy and smooth. The crust is sweet and crunchy with nuts and dates, and the pomegranate topping adds a fresh, fruity note to the spiced filling. Serve the cake cold but not deep-frozen. Nutiva hemp seeds and spectrum virgin coconut oil are available from amazon.com.



Recipe by David and Luise Vindahl

Photograph by Johanna Frenkel

December 2011

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  • 8

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups raw almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
  • 12 fresh Medjool dates, pitted
  • 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

Step 1

Preparation

Crust

Grind the first 3 ingredients in a blender or food processor for 1 minute. Add dates, oil, and salt and purée until mixture comes together. Place in springform pan and press evenly across bottom of pan. Chill.

Filling

Heat oil and agave in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking, until liquid. Place mixture in a blender or food processor; add soaked cashews, lemon juice and zest, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard bean. Purée until very smooth, about 2–3 minutes. Pour filling over crust and chill in freezer until set, about 30 minutes.

Topping

Place pomegranate seeds and lime juice in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour topping over cashew filling. Chill in freezer until solid, 30–60 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 10–15 minutes before serving. Run a sharp knife under hot water to make it easier to cut the slices. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Remove from freezer and let stand about 20 minutes before serving.

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Note: This recipe has not been tested by the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen.

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