Raw Lemon Ginger Chia Cheesecake with Young Living Essential Oils

If there’s anything better than cheese, it’s cheese in the form of a cake!

While I love essential oils and I’m vigilant about removing toxins from my environment to the best of my ability, I have a huge confession: when it comes to the dietary side of things, I am not as pure as the driven snow.  I’m not even as pure as the undriven snow.

Balance and moderation are two things I encourage in myself and others, and I also confess that I trot this out as form of justification if I’ve just eaten something less than saintly.  When it comes to food, I am not the Mother Teresa of the health world.

But I keep trying to improve and when I find recipes that taste awesome while being nutritious, I’ll gladly grab them with both hands.

Cheesecake is one of my weaknesses, especially the old original classic printed on the boxes of Philly cheese back in the day.  It was made from cream cheese, cream and lemon juice on a delicious crunchy biscuit base (ground-up gingernut bikkies and any plain sweet biscuit combined with melted butter).  Lavished with whipped cream on top and dusted off with nutmeg: mmm!

But dairy isn’t great for everyone and nor is gluten, making the traditional cheesecake a recipe for disaster for lots of people nowadays.

So I’m going to show you a no-dairy, no-gluten raw alternative I found that won’t disappoint.  With its unbaked nature and lemon-ginger flavours, it’s a passing nod to that old classic but with a health food store exploded inside of it.  Serve this one up and you’ll be powering everyone’s nutrient batteries while they ooh and aah over how fine it tastes.  You won’t need to make excuses about eating it, either!

Included in the ingredients list are a bunch of goodies known for potent benefits, including:

• almonds/cashews (almonds are high in calcium, cashews are rich in iron, magnesium and oleic acid which is also found in olive oil)
• dates (great for digestion, rich in vitamins, protein, iron plus selenium, manganese, copper and magnesium which are all wonderful for bone health, and fluorine for teeth)
• chia seeds (high in fibre, protein and Omega-3 fatty acids)
• ginger (warming and energising, closely related to turmeric, galangal and cardamom)
• turmeric (studied for anti-inflammatory effects, warming and energising)

We’ve oomphed up the recipe with Young Living ginger and lemon essential oils.  These impart vitality from pristine-sourced essential oils that are guaranteed pure (unlike the lemon oils and essences commercially available which often include unwanted additives to extend them) and also pack an amazing flavour punch you simply can’t get from dried spices.  *Please note: it’s imperative to only ever add essential oils to food and drink when the label clearly states you can do so.  Even when the purity is guaranteed, not all essential oils are appropriate for ingesting: be sensible and safe.

Raw Lemon Ginger Chia Cheesecake with Young Living Essential Oils

Adapted from Unconventional Baker, image via Unconventional Baker

Ready in 20 minutes ~ Gluten-free, Vegan ~ 5″ spring-form pan

TIPS

Allow all of the ingredients to come to room temperature before starting.

Pre-soaked nuts are required: put them in a glass bowl and cover with filtered water, leave to soak for 4 hours at room temperature or pop in the fridge if soaking overnight.  Strain and discard the water.  FAST TRACK: No time to pre-soak?  Use just-boiled water and soak for 15 minutes but this won’t preserve the nutrients as well as soaking without boiling water/heat.

INGREDIENTS

Crust

• ¾ cups raw almonds (unsoaked to add crunch)
• 1 fresh pitted date
• 2 drops Young Living Ginger essential oil*
• 1 tbsp softened coconut oil
• 1 tbs Young Living Blue Agave Nectar or premium maple syrup

Filling

• ¾ cup raw pre-soaked and strained cashews (see separate instructions above plus a fast track option)
• 5 tbsp fresh organic lemon juice
• Zest of one lemon (optional if using the essential oil but I like to include this too because hello, lemon zest!)
• 2-5 drops Young Living Lemon essential oil (start with 2 drops then taste test after you’ve blended the filling before folding through more)
• 3 tbsp Young Living Blue Agave Nectar or premium maple syrup
• 2 tbsp liquefied coconut oil (allow jar to stand in warm water if it’s solid in order to liquefy)
• 2-4 drops Young Living Ginger essential oil (to taste)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp chia seeds

Place all of the crust ingredients except the Blue Agave nectar/maple syrup into a food processor.

Process until it makes a crumble then add the Blue Agave nectar/maple syrup.

Process again to combine until the consistency is good for rolling and forming into balls.

If desired to use for decoration of your finished cheesecake, remove enough mixture to make just a few tiny balls and form them with your hands then set them aside.

Put the rest of the mixture into your non-stick/baking paper-lined 5” springform pan.

Press to form the crust, allowing a little to come up around the sides – this makes for a nice rustic presentation.

Place the crust in the freezer while you make the filling.

Using a power blender, blend all the room-temperature filling ingredients except the chia seeds until the mixture’s completely smooth.

Add the chia and pulse very briefly to fold them in or stir in the good old-fashioned way with a spoon.  Keep the seeds as intact as possible so they are nicely visible in the cake.

Take the crust from the freezer and pour in the filling.  Smooth out the top without being too perfect about it.  Top with the crust balls if desired, sprinkle with chia and add a top with a few slices of lemon.

Freeze overnight or for at least five hours.  Add a sprig of gourmet food-standard lavender or a sprig of rosemary before serving.  It looks beautiful to bring this to the table on a cake stand and cut it there.  You might like to allow it to stand/thaw first for long enough to have a softer consistency.  If there’s any left over, pop it in the freezer until ready to enjoy again (in the not too distant future!)

Essential oils are potent, so as always, please follow directions on the bottle and the usual guidelines for safe use of authentic essential oils.

Please ensure you are choosing a brand with complete transparency from seed to seal, such as Young Living.  You can learn in this short video why we only ever recommend and choose Young Living oils and love them so much!

Enjoy the good oil daily.

The information on this site does not constitute advice. Please consult with your health practitioner. When using any of the products mentioned throughout this site, please be sure to read the labels and follow their suggestions for safe use. We make commissions from sales via many of the products we recommend but we only suggest products we genuinely enjoy and want you to benefit from.  Lemon oil image used with permission © Young Living Essential Oils.