Updated: May 31, 2020
#vegan #plantbased #glutenfree #protein #dessert
This Vegan Cheesecake is amazing for so many reasons. One it tastes like the real thing, seriously! Two, this recipe uses only natural ingredients, no vegan processed cream cheeses, or whatnot. Basically, this is my kind of cake.
🤗Creamy Dreamy Cheesecake Oh ya!
As someone who has had a known intolerance to dairy since age 13 and someone who is trying to live a plant-based lifestyle Shavuot is particularly hard.
Cheesecake is literally my favorite food in earth. And I will usually have some on Shavuot but boy do I suffer after.😳
Last year I tried to make vegan cheesecake and let’s just say it didn’t pan out 🥁 This year I made a vow, I would find the most amazing, fool-proof, dairy-free cheesecake that even omnivores would say- Holy Cow 🐄!!!
Well I found it. Big time.
I just had to share it with the world because this is like a core part of this holiday (ok, besides staying up and learning all night, Sheesh😉)
I actually cooked this favorite food of mine on an Instagram Live with the inspirational Coach Gila (@coachgilaapproved). If you missed that Live, that’s cool you can watch the recap on my Instagram page forever. Head over to @veg.it.out to check it out (and while your there follow me, I will be doing live cooking classes once a month and you totally don’t want to miss them)
Coach Gila is an Integrative Nutritional Health Coach in the Tri-State area, she has a serious following and is an amazing businesswoman.
Ok, so let’s get to the cake, shall we?
RECIPE
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
- 2 cups (300g) of Nuts (Walnut, Almond, or Pecans. Or all three!)
- 1/2 cup (88g) Pitted Medjool Dates (Packed)
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 3 cups (450g) Raw Cashews (soaked overnight or soak in boiled water for an hour, drained and rinsed)
- 3/4 cup (180ml) Water
- 3/4 cup (180ml) Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Coconut Oil (Melted)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Method:
- Line an 8 inch (medium size) round springform pan or circular pan with baking paper and rub on some olive oil on the paper and pan. Set aside.
- Process the dates in the food processor until it becomes a thick dough, remove the dates, and put it to the side. Add the nuts, to the food processor and process until the nuts become pretty fine, they won’t become flour but they will be very small pieces. Add the dates back in, and push them into the ground nuts. Process until it starts to form into a sticky dough. It will start off crumbly, keep going until it starts to clump together in sticky clumps. Transfer to the springform pan and smooth it down into a pie crust. Use the back of a spoon to press it down into a neat flat layer. Place into the freezer to set.
- Take your soaked and rinsed cashew nuts and place them into the blender jug. Add the water, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and then blend everything together until very smooth. Stop and give your blender a break as needed as this is a lot of volumes to blend up. Use a spoon to mix once stopped to help along. Keep processing until completely smooth. Pour this over the nut crust and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Return to the freezer to set completely – about 4-6 hours.
- When the cheesecake has completely set, remove it from the springform pan, you should be able to remove the baking paper from the bottom of the cake but it’s ok if you don’t want to. Put it onto a platter to-do your topping
- Decorate the cheesecake with your favorite toppings.
- Allow the cheesecake to thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Once the cheesecake is thawed, keep it stored in the refrigerator or freezer. (Refrigerator for a softer cheesecake, freezer for a firmer cheesecake, but make sure to thaw before serving.)
