This Strawberry Ice Cream Cake is soy-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and mostly raw. You have the option to make a single 8-inch layer (pie) or 4 mini spring-form pans to stack like cakes.
It is strawberry season here in Florida, and our strawberries are so sweet and juicy. I can’t have enough and I want to make the most of these fresh delicious berries, so I’m always using them in my recipes like my Strawberry Breakfast Cake that I just made again yesterday.
One of my readers wrote that my Strawberry Oat Bars taste like store-bought breakfast bars and that my Strawberry Chia Jam is super easy to prepare and has great health benefits. For fun and creativity, try my Strawberry Protein Pancakes, and if you are just looking for a great ice cream recipe, check out my No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream recipe. Let me know what you think!
Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
I absolutely love vegan no-bake dessert recipes, especially in the summer. The fruits I use are so fresh and sweet, and the end result is so refreshing and light.
Strawberries are the quintessential dessert fruit, and I have and will continue to make every single dessert I can with strawberries. This ice cream cake will be a favorite of you, your family, and friends.
The crust that I use for this recipe is made predominantly with walnuts and dates. Both of these ingredients are super healthy and super delicious, and are vegan and gluten-free.
Health Benefits of Walnuts
Walnuts are one of my favorite nuts, with their high nutrition value, versatility, and affordability. They have fat and protein, vitamins and minerals, and lots of omega-3s.
In fact, their omega-3 content is very special, being one of the only nuts containing it, and making it a good source for vegans. Many people get their omega-3 content from fish or krill oil, so vegans have to be sure to find a source so they also can receive the benefits.
Health Benefits of Dates
Dates are a deliciously juicy sweet fruit that you usually find dried from grocery stores and health food stores. I love to use dates as a whole food sugar replacement.
Dates are not only a sugary fruit, they are also full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Because they are dried, they are a good quick snack for a boost in energy, making them a popular ingredient in energy bites usually eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or before and after working out.
These wonderful fruits make a great sugar replacement for those with diabetes, because of their lower glycemic index. This means that they cause less of a blood sugar spike, making it easier to control. As I am not a physician, please be sure to discuss any dietary changes with your doctor.
Lastly, because of the sticky, pasty texture of dates, they are great in crusts and snack balls or bars, since they will hold the ingredients together.
What Is Coconut Cream?
Coconut cream is the result of reducing coconut milk to a thicker consistency. Coconut flesh is high in fat so it results in a creamy and rich liquid, perfect for replacing cream in recipes.
Because of how coconut thickens when cold, it also makes it the perfect base for vegan no-bake cheesecakes. You can find coconut cream at most grocery stores in the US and also online here.
Coconut Cream Nutrition
Coconut cream is made from the inner meat of mature coconuts. It is a delicious heavy cream substitute that is used traditionally in many cultures, especially in the Caribbean, Asia, and South America.
Coconut cream has quite a high but healthy fat content, making it perfect for adding to spicy dishes to mellow the flavor and as a base for desserts. Coconut cream is also full of various minerals and vitamins, antioxidants, and even some fiber and protein.
Note that people with allergies to tree nuts can consume coconut because botanically coconut is not a nut, it is a fruit. However, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has classified it as a nut. Coconut cream contains medium-chain fatty acids, these fatty acids are found to be good for cardiovascular health. Read More here.
What Is In Icebox Cake?
Crust
- Coconut Flakes
- Walnuts
- Pitted Dates
- Vanilla
- Salt
Filling
- Cashews
- Coconut cream
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla
- Strawberries
- Salt
How To Make Vegan Cheesecake?
I have made and tweaked this recipe many times and every recipe is the bomb! This is my latest version and it is amazing! I told you in one of my previous posts, how Florida strawberries are one of the best in the country and how we have a long strawberry growing season here.
Check out these interesting facts about Florida strawberries!
This vegan cheesecake recipe is so easy, you definitely need a blender or food processor to make this one. For the base, I used walnuts, coconut, and dates but you can substitute with nuts of your choice and sweetener of choice.
For a nut-free version, substitute with graham cracker crumbs, a little oil, and water to hold.
For the filling, I use cashews because they produce a really creamy filling but I have had great results with almond flour or even blanched almonds, I just blend longer making sure to take breaks while I blend so my motor doesn’t overheat.
I did a video recently for this updated version of my vegan cheesecake and I wanted to create swirls but failed miserably because I ran out of strawberries, so if you would like that gorgeous effect, add at least 1 cup chopped strawberries to half of the filling.
I soaked the cashews but if you are in a hurry, just cover cashews with water and bring them to boil for about 3-5 minutes and that will soften them. Technically cashews aren’t raw, they are heating in processing plants, so therefore this recipe is not completely raw.
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Categories
- Category: Vegan
- Course: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
- Seasons: St. Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day
Nutrition
(Per 100g)- Energy: 350 kcal / 1463 kJ
Cook Time
- Preparation: 20 min
- Ready in: 20 min
- For: 12 portions
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch sea salt, optional
Filling
- 2 cups cashews
- 1 can coconut cream, (I love Trader Joe's brand)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
- Pinch salt, optional
Instructions
- [Process] Place walnuts, coconut flakes, dates, vanilla, and salt in a food processor and process until finely ground. Process until it looks like breadcrumbs.
- [Refrigerate] Scoop crust into the base of a spring-form pan, using hand press into the bottom of a 7 or 8-inch spring-form pan or 4 mini-spring-form pans. Place in refrigerator to chill while preparing the filling.
- [Blend] Place cashews, coconut cream, maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in a blender and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of blender if necessary.
- [Freeze] Add strawberry and blend. Pour filling into prepared spring-form and place into the freezer for 2-3 hours or until set.
- [Serve] To serve remove from freezer, transfer to serving plate and allow to soften a bit, garnish with strawberries.
This is very interesting, you are amazing!
I hope you try it.
This is a great recipe Michelle, thank you.
I’m so happy you liked it Angelique.
I made this today, it was AMAZING!! And it was so easy to make! Thanks!
How do you store it? Does it stay in the freezer until you want to eat it? How long is it good for?
The best thing to do would be to slice your cheesecake in separate portions after first thawing, store into individual freezer containers and just keep the portions frozen that you don’t need to eat right away. It should be good for a month. Otherwise, keep the entire cheesecake in the refrigerator only for a couple of days.
Mary, I’m happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Is dated in the crust? You list it in instructions but it’s not an ingredient. Is coconut oil in the filling? You list it as ingredient but don’t mention in instructions.
Thank you for pointing out these errors. I have made the necessary edits.
when do you put the coconut cream in (its not mentioned in the direction at all but its listed as an ingredient) and do you need to refrigerate it first and only use cream that forms on top???
Sorry about that, it is an old recipe that I transferred onto my new website theme so I somehow failed in bringing it over. Well, I just poured the entire can because with the Trader Joe’s brand sometimes it isn’t separated. If you want it to be thicker then refrigerate and drain off the clear fluid but I didn’t do that and the texture was fine. But in the summertime, it would be best to do that.
Made this for my husband’s birthday and it was a big hit!
That’s wonderful, so happy it was a hit!
That looks so good and love no bake desserts.
Thank you Usha, hope you try it!