Strawberries and cream are such a classic flavour, right? I couldn’t resist turning it into a light and healthy dessert, albeit prettily presented in the form of this Raw strawberry cream slice. You’ll need a blender and food processor to whop these up, some whole food pantry ingredients, fresh strawberries and hungry mouths to feed.
Layer 1 of the Raw strawberry cream slice
The base of this slice is one of my favourite cake bases and I use it time and again. In Australia, pecans are pretty expensive, so if you don have access to those you can sub for walnuts or cashews in a pinch. I adore the use of pecans for both their flavour and texture, but I do think their use in more warranted if you live in the northern hemisphere. Either way, here is what you will need:
- Raw or toasted pecans. I use activated, and you can read about that here.
- Raw cacao or dutch pressed cocoa. Both and good.
- Shredded coconut- adds a natural sweetness and nice texture
- Medjool dates- helps to bind and adds sweetness. Yes, you can use dry dates but you will need to use more of them and soak them in water prior to use
- Coconut oil- helps the base to set firm but if you don’t like/have coconut oil you can sub for roasted almond butter
The process i pretty simple. You will grind the dry ingredients until small crumbs form, then add the wet ingredients to form a dough. See? Simple.
Layer 2 of the raw strawberry cream slice
The creamy filling is made up from mostly whole food ingredients, is light and fluffy if you blend it with a high speed blender.
- Raw cashews- they make the bulk of the base here. You can use macadamia, too, just make sure you choose raw and unsalted nuts
- Fresh strawberries. If you use frozen ones make sure you defrost them before use as this recipe uses coconut oil which sets hard at low temperatures (and thus frozen berries might result in clumps of oil forming). You can absolutely swap for your preferred berry.
- Vanilla extract. Always.
- Coconut milk- the thick, canned variety. I like the Ayam brand- it has no weird ingredients, is super creamy and tastes best in my opinion. Try to buy a nice tasting coconut milk as this will adjust the flavour of your cake.
- Coconut oil- virgin or refined if you prefer no coconut taste
- Pure maple syrup- my favourite liquid sweetener, but can be subbed for any liquid sweetener. Rice malt syrup works well here.
The process here is straight forward too. Blend everything in a high-speed blender until very smooth then scrape on top of the base and set in the freezer for 2 hours. After this time, transfer the slice to the fridge to allow it to set overnight.
Finally, when you are ready to serve, you will decorate the top with freshly sliced strawberries. As cut strawberries do not keep well it is important that you don’t add them on top until you are ready to serve (and in particular do not freeze them- defrosted strawberries are gross). The cut strawberries will only last around 12 hours, so decorate them in batches if need be.
A further note on berries
If you want a less finicky option, swap your strawberries for raspberries. Raspberries defrost much better than strawberries and so you can press them into the top of the slice before putting into the freezer. See the notes section of the recipe card for more details here.
I am sure you will enjoy this slice as much as we do. As always, we welcome any feedback, comments or questions below. If you like this slice, you will love some of these other no bake vegan desserts:
- Healthy peanut butter fudge
- Lemon and raspberry jelly cheesecakes
- No bake red velvet slice
- Raspberry and chocolate slice

Raw strawberry cream slice
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 12 hours
- Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 9-12 serves 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy no bake strawberry and cream slice is grain free and paleo and made using whole food ingredients. The brownie pecan base pairs perfectly with the creamy filling, and is a fun way to get teh kids into the kitchen.
Ingredients
Ingredients (base)
1 1/3 cup (160g) pecan meal (or weigh whole pecans and grind in food processor)
1/3 cup (35g) cacao powder (or cocoa)
1/2 cup (45g) shredded coconut
10 (250g) Medjool dates, pitted
2 Tbsp (30g) coconut oil, melted*
Ingredients (strawberry cream filling)
2 cups (300g) raw cashews, soaked 4 hours
1 cup (150g) fresh strawberries, hulled
1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125g) coconut milk
1/4 cup (70g) coconut oil, melted*
2 Tbsp (30ml) pure maple syrup (optional)
To serve; 1 punnet strawberries
Instructions
- Grease and line a 8 (15cm) inch square cake tin, and set aside. I line mine with compostable baking paper, so I recommend that if you don’t have a spring form tin.
Make the base
- Add pecan meal, cacao powder and coconut to a food processor and pulse to form an even crumb. The crumbs should be around match head size or a little bigger. Add dates and coconut oil, and pulse until you have a sticky dough. To test if the dough has the right moisture content pick up a small amount and squeeze it together. It should easily compress and hold together but not be so sticky that you have to peel it off your hand. If its too dry add another date, and if its too wet add a little more cacao. Press base into lined pan, taking time to ensure you get an even layer. Set aside.
Make the filling
- Drain cashews, then place in (high-speed *see notes) blender with remaining filling ingredients. Blend on high until silky smooth, then pour over base. It is a good idea to stop half way through and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid lumps in the mix.
- Freeze slice for 2 hours, then move to the fridge to set overnight. When you’re ready to serve, top with chopped, fresh strawberries (you can press the berries into the filling, or simply layer on top**), then slice and enjoy. *see notes
Store in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer. Store without strawberries, as they will only keep for 12 hours, or if you want a longer lasting option use raspberries not top (see notes). Slice will store in the freezer fro up to 1 month.
Notes
- If you don’t have a high speed blender, just a regular one, thats ok. It will still work you just wont get the creamy texture as pictured. Likewise, you can make the filling with a food processor but note the the filling wont be as creamy and lush.
- Melt coconut oil over a low flame, and allow to cool for 5 minutes before using in the recipe
- As the cut berries will only last 12 hours, it is recommended to only serve as needed. The slice will last for 4-5 days in an air-tight container in the fridge, without the fresh berries. DO NOT put strawberries nit the slice before freezing as the texture of the strawberries after being defrosted is not nice.
To make a raspberry option
You can easily substitute the strawberries for raspberries here, and in fact this makes for a much easier option when it comes to serving. Follow the recipe as written (simply subbing strawberries for raspberry) then when you get to step 2 of the filling swap for the following:
2. Add raspberries to the top of the slice and gently push each one down until they are partly submerged. Freeze the slice for 4+ hours, or overnight. To serve, remove from the freezer and allow slice into defrost for 5 minutes. To defrost fully place in the fridge for a few hours, or place cut slice into an air tight container and store in the freezer, defrosting serves as needed.
Keywords: Vegan, paleo, no bake, raw vegan, strawberries, wholefoods, raw cake