Place cashews in a quart jar and cover with water. Soak in the refrigerator overnight for up to 24 hours. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
Blend cashews
Place cashews in a Vitamix or equivalent high-powered blender. Add 4 tablespoons of water and blend briefly at medium speed until a uniform meal is achieved. Turn Vitamix up to the highest speed and process until perfectly smooth. Use a tamper to move the mixture around. After a while, scrape down the sides of the blender.
Keep blending until all the grainy bits are gone and a silky frosting-like consistency is achieved. The mixture is likely to be warm by the time it reaches a smooth consistency. Resist the temptation to add more water unless the mixture gets warm and isn't smooth yet. Then add water sparingly, a tablespoon at a time.
Add yogurt
Scrape the cashew mixture into a glass bowl. Test the temperature and make sure it's below 100 degrees. If unsure, place in refrigerator for 20 minutes. The temperature needs to be below 105 degrees so as not to kill the living microbes in the yogurt culture.
Add coconut yogurt and stir well until completely blended in. Clean the sides of the bowl with a spatula or damp paper towel. Smooth the top of the mixture. Cover the bowl with a plate.
Ferment cheese
Place the covered bowl out of direct sunlight and let sit at room temperature for 12-36 hours. Taste the cream cheese after 12 hours and periodically until it has the desired tart and cheesy flavor.
Culturing takes 12 hours in our tropical climate. However, don't worry if it takes up to 36 hours. Different climates create very different results. Also, the degree of sourness is your own personal taste.
As cheese develops, you can smell a faint pleasant sour aroma. A domed top and fluffy interior are two visual cues your cultured cashew cream cheese is ready. It's natural for cultured cashew cream cheese to expand as it sours.
Stir in lemon juice and salt
When cream cheese is sour to your preference, stir it down. Dissolve salt in lemon juice. Stir lemon juice and salt mixture into cream cheese. Whip well with a spoon.
Refrigerate cheese
Transfer cream cheese to a container with a lid. Cashew cream cheese will firm slightly when fully chilled
Make firmer-style cream cheese
To make firmer cream cheese, scoop fermented cheese onto a large square of tightly woven cotton fabric. Men's handkerchiefs are just the right size and weight. You can also use similar cotton fabric cut into 18-inch squares.
Roughly shape the cheese into a one-inch high block. Wrap cheese firmly in cloth. Place a second square of cloth on your work surface and wrap the bundle again, so you have the cheese wrapped twice.
Place bundled cream cheese inside a tofu press and tighten the screws. Alternatively, you can use two flat plates or small cutting boards with a heavy weight on top.
Place weighted cheese in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours. Then, remove the weight and transfer the cream cheese to the freezer overnight. Leave it wrapped in cloth since it will still be too soft to unwrap.
After 8 hours in the freezer, you can take your pressed cream cheese out and unwrap it. Peel the fabric away from the block of cream cheese. Now you can store it on a serving dish in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
When ready to serve, let the cashew cream cheese soften for a few minutes at room temperature, then you can smooth the edges to make it even for a pretty dish.
NOTE: Cultured cashew cheese will soften quickly in a warm room if left out. So, keep it refrigerated or frozen until just before serving.
Store
Cultured cashew cream cheese lasts easily 2 weeks in the refrigerator and freezes well for 3 months.
Notes
RECIPE TIPSA Vitamixor equivalent machine is essential for a silky smooth texture. Use a recipe with at least 2 cups of cashews so the mixture can turn in blades.Salt makes the cream cheese taste like the "real" thing. Adding it after fermentation helps shorten the time it takes to culture. Adding lemon juice preserves the white color of cashew cream cheese. You can dissolve salt in lemon juice before mixing it in the cultured cashew cheese.Choose the best-tasting, additive-free vegan yogurt if making a substitution for Homemade Coconut Yogurt.This recipe makes cream cheese with a whipped consistency. Follow the recipe instructions for making firmer cream cheese if desired.If you are in a very warm climate and find your cream cheese ferments in 12 hours, start it early in the morning, and it will be ready before bed. Otherwise, start it before bed to get your first 12 hours while sleeping.Cultured Cashew Cream Cheese will last 2 weeks refrigerated and can be frozen for 3 months.