Ahhh im so pleased with the way my {Cheesecake} turned out! I was inspired by one i bought from the
Inspiral Lounge in Camden. I LOOOOVEEE that place. I even have a unspoken rule that whenever anyone i know goes to camden, they MUST bring me back a goodie from Inspiral.
I honestly had no idea how i was going to make this desert. I spent a few days thinking about it. The base, easy.. a chocolate nut base similar to my
RAW BROWNIE mixture. But the middle layer took a few days of planning. I am such a NERD. I decided it HAD to be based on Hazelnuts, as it was a hazelnut cheesecake. I am so clever :) HA. And a coconut milk / cashew cream. It took a little bit of playing around with - but I was pretty happy with the result! I think in future I would try to look into buying a raw hazelnut paste, or attempt to blend my hazelnuts into a paste first as they did not blend in 100%. My small coffee grinder broke, but I think that would have been ideal.
Fortunately I Love savoury food, because otherwise I think I would spend my days just eating raw desserts and puddings like this one. They taste soo good. I have to actually keep reminding myself that it is all Raw Wholefoods. Because I take a few bites and think.. this tastes like it should be really bad for me! When it is the absolute opposite!
I like to store my cheesecake in the freezer, I then take it out and cut a bit off about 20mins before I plan to eat some. That way it always stays fresh and set. However, you can eat it straight from the freezer and it tastes like an ice cream cake :) YUM. Once fully set, you can store in the fridge, but it wont last as long.
RAW Vegan
Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake
BASE
1 Cup Walnuts
1 cup Almond nuts
1/2 cup of dates ( soaked in water)
1/4 cup chia seeds ( optional )
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tbsp Cocoa powder
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
Pinch Salt
This base is similar to my brownie mix - with a few alterations to create a more solid base.
Mix all ingredients in a blender, ( melting the coconut oil first as explained
here ). Spread
the base mixture into the bottom of a cake tin ( Use a cake tin which have a removable bottom. It makes life 1000x easier) and smooth it out so it is flat. Place in freezer whilst you make the 'cream cheese'.
'Hazelnut 'Cream Cheese'
2/3 cup Cashews ( soaked in water for 10 mins first to soften)
1 cup Hazelnuts (soaked in water) or Hazelnut paste
2 Medjool Dates
2 tbsp Agave Syrup or Maple Syrup
2 cups Coconut Cream
-[Bought as coconut cream OR buy 2 tins of coconut milk, place in fridge for 2 hours, drain the liquid and use the solid cream]
Drain and blend Cashews, hazelnuts and dates until smooth, or as smooth as possible! Add the coconut cream and blend again. Now add the Syrup. I recommend adding one spoonful at a time and taste testing. I personally have a sweet tooth, and so you may prefer less - or even more syrup :)
Take the base out of the freezer. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over, and even out. Place in the freezer for a good few hours to let it fully set.
Topping
Cocoa Powder
Hazelnuts
Once set, you can remove from the tin. This is where the removable cake base comes in handy! Sprinkle cocoa powder over and place a few hazelnuts on top for décor!
This recipe is great for enticing Non vegan eaters to try Vegan foods. :)