If you follow this blog you noticed that I do not make too many desserts, but if I make them I try to make them as healthy as possible. Sugar is sugar whether raw, brown, or organic. It wreaks havoc in our bodies and should be enjoyed rarely and in small doses.
The idea for this cake came when I bought organic bergamots (Citrus bergamia) that are now still in season. I love lemon cheesecake, so making a bergamot cheesecake seemed like a great idea. This is the first time I was able to buy bergamots. I use bergamot sea salt that is flavored with the zest of bergamots and tried bergamot preserves before, but I have never had a chance to work with the fresh, ripe fruit.
I am aware that many of you will not be able to get the fresh bergamots. You can still make a delicious cake using lemons, limes, or even oranges. As always, you might have to adjust the amounts of ingredients used. Use this recipe as an inspiration for your own creations.
I wanted to make a light, not too sweet cheesecake with a very thin crust and I love the outcome. For a thicker crust, double or triple the ingredients. I used my favorite nuts - organic raw macadamias from Kenya. I cultured the cheese to make the cake even healthier. Plan ahead. You will need at least 12 hours for the fermentation process. My kitchen is rather cold so I cultured my macadamia nut cheese for 36 hours. The cheese wasn't too pungent. It had a nice, slightly tart, fruity flavor.
In my cake I used raw, unrefined coconut blossom sugar and xylitol. 1/4 cup xylitol equals 1/4 cup cane sugar in sweetness. If using xylitol make sure it is made from birch. You may want to use some other sweetener and maybe even make your cake sweeter than mine. For me, this was perfect.
I used cacao butter to "hold" the cake together so there is no need to put the cake into a freezer. The cake stays perfectly firm when you take it out of the fridge. I did not use too much so the chocolaty taste of the cacao butter doesn't really interfere with the taste of the citrus.
I used a 5.5 inch (14 cm) springform cake pan.
Ingredients:
for the cheese
- 1 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts soaked in purified water overnight
- 1/4 cup freshly made macadamia nut milk or purified water (as more if needed)
- 1/2 tsp probiotic powder
for the crust
- 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts
- 1 Tbsp freshly ground golden flax seeds
- 2 Tbsp coconut blossom sugar
- 1 Tbsp mesquite powder
- 1 Tbsp bergamot citrus zest
- 1 Tbsp freshly pressed bergamot citrus juice
- 1 Tbsp melted cacao butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch Celtic sea salt
for the filling
- cultured cheese made out of 1 1/2 cups of raw macadamia nuts (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup xylitol
- 1 Tbsp bergamot citrus zest
- 1/2 cup freshly pressed bergamot citrus juice (add more if needed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, add more if needed
- 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt to bring out the taste and balance the flavors
- 1/4 cup melted cacao butter
for the garnish
- supremes of 1 bergamot
Method:
- To make the cheese blend the soaked, rinsed and drained macadamia nuts with 1/4 cup of freshly macadamia nut milk or water. Nut milk will give you a much creamier consistency, but water is fine as well. You can use food processor or a blender. Blend until you have a fairly smooth mass. Add the probiotic powder and blend again for a few seconds. You can use the content of 2 probiotic capsules but make sure they are free of additives and flowing agents such as magnesium stearate.
- Transfer the macadamia mass into a clean, preferably sterilized, glass bowl, and press down nicely. Cover the fresh cheese with a parchment to prevent a dry "skin" from forming on the surface. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and place it on the countertop away from the direct sun. Allow the cheese to ferment for at least 12 hours.
- Once the cheese has cultured to your satisfaction, gather all the ingredients and start with the crust. In a food processor or a blender, pulse blend the macadamia nuts. Add the ground flax seeds, coconut blossom sugar, mesquite powder, bergamot zest and vanilla extract, and blend for a few minutes. Add the melted cacao butter and blend until the mass begins to stick together. Add salt and blend again for a few seconds. Adjust the taste as needed.
- Transfer the mass to your sprinform cake pan, spread it evenly with a spatula and press down. Place the pan in the fridge while you move on to make the cheese filling.
- In a food processor or a blender whiz the cultured cheese with xylitol. Add the bergamot zest and juice and blend until smooth. Add vanilla extract and salt and blend well. Add melted cacao butter and blend again until well combined. You should have a smooth, creamy consistency. Adjust the taste as needed.
- Transfer the cheese filling into the springorm cake pan and spread it evenly. Tap the cake pan a few times on the countertop to remove the air pockets. Smooth out the surface with a bent icing knife (an offset spatula). Place the cake in the fridge for two to three hours and allow it to set. You may want to cover the cake with a beeswax sheet or sticky wrap to prevent any flavor from your fridge to mingle with the flavor of your cake. You can put the whole cake pan in a large Ziplock bag.
- When you are ready to serve the cake, prepare your bergamot supremes. If you have never done the supreme cut you may want to check out my tutorial.
- Take the cake out of the fridge. Decorate with the bergamot supremes. If you do not have enough fruit to make the supremes, sprinkle your cake with coconut blossom sugar, use bergamot zest to decorate it, or simply leave it the way it is.
- Cut the cake into portions and serve. Enjoy in good company!
Tip: This cake tastes even better when you allow it to sit in the fridge overnight. Put it in a large enough glass container with a lid and place it in the fridge. Allow the flavors to mingle.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2024