Valentine’s Day is undeniably sweet. It’s a day to celebrate the people who make life better – friends, family and even yourself. And let’s be honest: it’s the perfect excuse to indulge in a little extra sweet dessert.

There is something about a fresh bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table that instantly lifts my mood. While this is one of my favourite parts of the holiday, I’ve become much more selective about the expected, edible supper and dessert. I’ve reached a point where I want to enjoy a treat without the inevitable sugar crash that disrupts my routine and leaves me feeling sluggish.

The Quest for a Better Slice

Cheesecake has always been my guilty pleasure – though I’m trying to lose the guilt! Growing up, I had a go-to recipe that was a hit at every party. To avoid a mini crisis, I’m not going to look at the list of processed ingredients or the caloric facts of a single slice. Instead, I’m focusing on finding a better slice to satisfy my sweet tooth.

About a year ago, Jo and I set out to create a solution – a Vegan Raspberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake. We used natural ingredients and minimal sweeteners, making it a dessert we felt good about.

The only problem? We didn’t write it down…

When Valentine’s Day came up this year, we had an idea of the ingredients, but could not remember the measurements. Thankfully, with a little help from ChatGPT, reconstructing our ingredients and giving us measurements, we manage to recreate or perhaps even improve, our new treat.

Want to see how these layers came together? Check us out making our Valentine’s Dessert here! We had so much fun reconstructing this recipe. We think you’ll love seeing the process (and the final result) as much as we loved eating it!

The Foundation: A Guilt-Free Base

If you’re looking for a graham-cracker-style crust without the refined sugar or gluten, this should be your go-to base. We used a blend of dates and oat flour.

The dates provide a natural, caramel-like sweetness and act as a binder, while the oat flour gives it that perfect “grit” that every good cheesecake base needs. It’s the ideal sturdy platform for the smooth layers to follow.

The Heart: Raspberry “Cheesecake”

To keep the cheesecake vegan, we used raw cashews. Soak your raw cashews in boiling water for about 15 minutes before you start. This softens them enough to create a silky texture. Be sure to avoid salted or roasted varieties as they’ll throw off the delicate flavor profile.

Blend the cashews with raspberries until 100% smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a splash of water. After a quick taste test, add a tablespoon of honey (or maple syrup for fully vegan version) to add some sweetness. Pour this over the base and let it chill.

The Grand Finale: Homemade White Chocolate

This is easily my favourite part. Simply melt cocoa butter on the stovetop and blend it with more of those soaked, raw cashews. 

The result is a creamy, buttery layer that mimics white chocolate. Pour this over the raspberry layer and let the whole thing set in the fridge for at least two hours.

The Result

What you end up with is a vibrant, multi-layered dessert that looks as good as it tastes. It’s rich, satisfying and made entirely of ingredients that love you back.

Did you bake something special for Valentine’s Day? If you’d like the specific measurements we used to get the texture just right, I’d be happy to share the full breakdown.

In calmness and grace,

Hannah