Strawberry Cheesecake

Serves 4

A delicious, raw strawberry cheesecake with a buttery almond cocoa filling.

For the topping:

• 250g (8.8oz) strawberries

• 30g (1oz) raw unrefined cane sugar

• ½ lime, juice

• Pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 5g Irish moss

• 250ml (8.4fl oz) filtered water

• 100g (3.5oz) hemp hearts

• 100g (3.5oz) almonds, blanched

• 75g (2.6oz) xylitol

• 60g (2oz) cacao butter

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ lime juice

• Pinch of salt

For the base:

• 100g (3.5oz) dates, destoned

• 25g (0.8oz) sultanas • 50g (1.7oz) desiccated coconut

• 50g (1.7oz) sesame seeds

• 50g (1.7oz) pecans

• 1 tsp tahini paste

1 Make the filling by soaking the Irish moss in 150ml (5fl oz) water and set aside overnight. Soak the almonds in the remaining 100ml (3.4fl oz) water and set aside overnight too.

2 Make the base: in a high-speed food processor mix together the dates, sultanas, coconut, sesame seeds, pecans and tahini until the mixture starts sticking together.

3 Place the tart shells on top of acetate paper on a baking tray. Cut the acetate paper so that it can go round the edge of the tart shells. If you don’t have tart shells, use a cake tin with a loose bottom — line with parchment paper and parchment paper round the sides.

4 Use your hands and pat to form a biscuit. Repeat with each tart shell. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

5 In a high-speed blender blend the hemp, almonds and xylitol until fine. Add in the Irish moss. Continue to blend. 6 Melt the cacao butter over a bain-marie (i.e., in a glass bowl over a saucepan full of water) until the butter melts. Pour into the blender with the hemp filling.

7 Add in the vanilla extract, juice and salt. Combine.

8 Transfer the filling into a large mixing bowl and then spoon the filling on top of the biscuit. Place the cheesecake the freezer for at least a couple of hours.

9 Make the topping by using a chopper to lightly pulse together the strawberries, sugar, lime juice and salt for a few seconds; you don’t want to break up the strawberries into mush. Pour over the cheesecake. Return to the freezer for at least a couple of hours or until ready to serve.

10 When serving, remove the acetate paper (you can reuse the acetate paper again) and serve on some nice plates.