ROSEWATER AND RASPBERRY CHEESECAKES with a graham cracker crust | recipe

When I'm craving something sweet, the satiation process begins with the making; a combination of time, patience and minimal effort, and ends with the presentation. Somehow I feel more deserving of indulgence when I've waited in agony for it. Am I alone in this? This recipe takes little to no kitchen skills, but a whole lotta patience, as like most raw desserts, it requires time in the freezer. But half the pleasure in these cute little treats is had just by looking at them. I love pretty sweet things, and I am so not a baker, so here I got my fix with some ombré and topping the hell out these babies, unnecessary to taste, but I eat with my eyes. 

Ingredients

1 cans coconut milk, full fat

2 cups cashews, soaked overnight

1 tbs rosewater

1 vanilla bean or vanilla extract

1 tbs coconut sugar, maple syrup or agave

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 tsp beetroot powder or red food color (entirely unnecessary, for aesthetic purposes only)

1 packet of graham crackers

1 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp almond extract (optional)

dash sea salt

lime zest

optional layer:

1 cup creamer

1 tbs cacao powder

60 g dark chocolate

1 tbs syrup

pictured with:

toasted almonds with sugar and cinnamon

piped coconut whip

Instructions

1. Soak cashew and chill coconut milk overnight or for at least 2 hours.
2. Begin by processing graham crackers, coconut oil, almond extract and sea salt until well blended and crumbly. If you have a food processor to do this, that is the best way to go about it but you can also smash the graham crackers in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin and then combine them with the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
3. Pack the bottom of a 9" spring form pan or 3 mini spring forms with the crust mixture and bake at 350 F for 5 minutes. Let cool.
4. Skim the fat off the top of the can of coconut milk making sure to use as little liquid as possible. Combine in a high powered blender or food processor with the cashews, rosewater, 1/4 tsp beet root powder, vanilla bean and sweetener, until smooth. 
5. For an optional layer: combine chocolate, maple syrup and creamer over a double boiler. Poor over crust and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. 
6. Poor a 1/2" layer of cheesecake mixture into your pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.
7. Add 3/4 tsp beetroot powder to the mixture and blend. 
8. Poor a 1/2" layer of cheesecake mixture into your pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.
9. Add raspberries to the remaining mixtures and blend. I like leave a few raspberry chunks remaining.
10. Poor your final layer into your pan and pop it in the freezer for a final 2 hours. 
11. Top with somethin' pretty, I chose coconut whip, toasted almonds dusted with cinnamon and sugar and lime zest. I've already given you a lot of work to do so I didn't include these two processes but I will if anyone is curious, just leave me a little comment!