Strawberry Ripple Almond Cheesecake.

{This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk!}

Strawberry season is back!

Last week I picked up some of the prettiest strawberries and I’ve been eating and baking with them non-stop ever since. They taste like candy and I could not be happier for their sweet return…as if this strawberry coconut carrot cake and these pop-tarts didn’t already give you that idea. Like I said, a little bit excited about strawberry season, and the fact that this is just the beginning of all the berries yet to come! Now, if only it would stop snowing here. Hmmmm.

Anyway, I have been waiting to share this cake with you guys for a while now. It took some time to perfect, but I am so happy to have it ready just in time for Easter this Sunday. It will the make the perfect sweet dessert that pretty much everyone will enjoy.

Here are the facts, this cake is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free. I know, I know, but promise this frozen cake is all things delicious, so very creamy, and filled with amazing almond and strawberry flavors.

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to include a few more vegan friendly desserts on the blog. Coincidentally, I recently received some requests for vegan desserts from some of you as well. And since I aim to please, I created this Strawberry Ripple Almond Cheesecake, and I could not be happier. And this is coming from someone who loves to bake with butter, eggs and of course…chocolate. But I really love this cake…with all of its pretty colors and major creaminess, especially the creaminess!

OK, so let me break this cake down for us all, layer by layer.

The base of the cake is made up of raw almonds, coconut, oats, and dates. The dates act like a glue and hold everything together. Plus, they’re my all time favorite healthy baking staple, I love dates.

While the base is delicious, it’s really the “cheesecake” like filling that’s my favorite. I used almonds along with Almond Breeze Almondmilk to create a super creamy filling that’s very similar to that of a cheesecake. I used a touch of lemon and vanilla for flavor, and then swirled some homemade honey strawberry sauce throughout.

I like to keep the cake in the freezer, removing it just a few minutes before serving to let it soften a bit. I also like to reserve a tablespoon or so of the strawberry sauce for serving. Then to create a nice finish, I drizzle a little honey over top and add fresh strawberries for extra sweetness. <–do this, it makes for a really pretty presentation.

This cake is great not only for the fact that it’s healthy, high in protein, full of antioxidants and fiber, and vegan…but it’s also easy to make and can be made completely in advance. My one tip is to try to remember to soak your almonds overnight in water. Soaking the almonds helps them to blend up easily and become super creamy and delicious. If you forget to soak the almonds overnight, bring a pot of water to a boil add the almonds and let them soak for one hour, then drain. This works really well too!

And lastly, with summer fruit season right around the corner, feel free to swap the strawberries with any other berry. Raspberries, blueberries or even stone fruits would be great to use here too! So you see, this is basically just an all around perfect cake for now through summer. And major bonus points that it’s also healthy enough for breakfast…I mean there’s even oats in here. Score!

Love those magical strawberry swirls.

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk, thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!