When New Year’s comes around I get excited about the changes, friendships, love, and memories that are sure to come the following year. Today was the most wonderful start to 2012. Unseasonably warm weather, sunshine, fresh air, lovely people, a dog named Javier, tea, and a (healthy) post-hike dessert.
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| Photo Credit: Kat Muscianesi, Fresh Eyes – Daily Unlimited Snapshots on Flickr |
One of my best pals is vegan and I’m always happy to try a new treat for her. I found the recipe for the cashew pom cake on www.bonappétit.com in an article about a vegan Christmas meal. It was the perfect cake for a fresh start to 2012.
This frozen, vegan “cheesecake” is lightly sweet and a bit tart. Soaked cashews whip up to a creamy filling, which is quite satisfying when paired with the nutty crust. What did I change from the original recipe? I left out of the hemp seeds for sake of needing to run to one less market, and replaced them with 2 tablespoons extra of sunflower seeds. I used both almonds and walnuts in the crust to avoid hurt feelings. I also skipped the cardamom and swapped vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. Still delicious! The recipe calls for 2 pomegranates and I reserved some seeds for garnish. If you enjoy snacking on poms, it’s worth getting 3 total and using 2 full poms for the topping.
If you have a food processor (or blender) and a freezer, this recipe is simple to make. That’s the beauty of a raw recipe! And you can skip feeling guilty about eating it. Sure the nuts are high in fat, but it’s good fat, and 1/3 cup of sweetener is nothing compared to most dessert recipes.
