Strawberries, cashew cream, almond cookie…. what more does a girl need? Oh wait… It’s raw, vegan and gluten free? What?!!!
For the past few months I’ve been creating raw vegan (except for the occasional honey addition) desserts for Ku’au Store in Maui. This is the first time I’ve had to actually create in my own kitchen! I’ve been wanting to make a raw strawberry shortcake for awhile now, and I finally did it! How exciting!
The strawberries are grown on the island up in Kula, I was surprised and excited to discover strawberries on the island. The pre-prep on this dessert is minimal. To make the crust raw, you will need almond flour. I save the pulp from my almond milk, and dehydrate it to dry it out. You can use the pulp without dehydrating it, but it will be moister and have a different texture.
I use maple syrup as the sweetener in this recipe, which is absolutely not raw, but it is all natural, full of minerals, and generally offered as an option in raw food cook books. You can substitute agave, coconut nectar, or date syrup if you would like.
Ingredients
Supplies
- 2x 4 inch spring form pans (or one 8 inch)
- food processor
- mixing bowl
- cutting board
- knife
Crust
- 1 cup raw almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Cream Filling
- 1 small package strawberries, thinly sliced
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2-4 hours
- 1/4 cup coconut butter (or oil)
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon almond milk (or cashew or coconut milk)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla vanilla bean powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Method
Crust
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. If it is cold you may need to melt the coconut oil.
Grease the sides of the pan in coconut oil. Gently pat some almond flour along the sides to prevent sticking.
Sprinkle a thin layer of almond flour on the bottom of the pan(s). Press the mixture into pan(s) firmly.
Layer one layer of strawberries on top of crust. Set aside.
Filling
In food processor combine all ingredients plus the equivalent of 2-3 large strawberries.
Process until creamy, at least five minutes. Spread in pan(s) evenly.
Top with a decorative layer of strawberries. Cover and set in refrigerator.
Serve
Allow to harden in refrigerator at least one hour, but preferably overnight. Gently release spring form pan(s) and release. If the filling sticks to the sides, gently run a knife along the edges before pushing it up.
Serve as is or with coconut ice cream.
