Monday, December 17, 2012

How to make a dairy free vegan cheesecake



First off, I would like to say my inspiration for this cheesecake came from http://fragrantvanillacake.blogspot.com/2012/12/mini-raw-chocolate-mint-swirl.html.
Fragrant vanilla cake is a fantastic blog, and I recommend you all check it out!

I made this for a holiday party, everyone thought it was fantastic, and no one believed it was vegan! So why torture the cow?

Ingredients you'll need;

crust:

  • 3/4 cup/approx 5 natural vegan oreos , then crush or chop (I used trader joe's brand. For those with a milk allergy {lauren} I think they are made in a facility with milk. so read carefully).
  • 3/4 cup almond meal
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • 10-12 soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped (make sure they are pitted and chopped before the food processor! because I didn't realize!)
  • a pinch of cocao powder
cheesecake filling:
  • 3 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight and drained)
  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1/2 cup raw agave nectar or honey
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • a dash (about 1/2 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp peppermint extract (or a little more to taste)
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp coconut oil (warmed to liquid)
  • about 10 chopped/crushed natural vegan oreos
  • (optional) 1/2 tsp cocoa powder or   (OPTIONAL)one handful organic spinach leaves (enough to tint the filling green)
ganache topping:
  • 1/2 cup coconut cream (if you cannot find this try using a thick almond or coconut milk)
  • 4.5 ounces of vegan dark chocolate, chopped

1. grease a large (about 12 inches or so) spring form pan with coconut oil. 


                                                                                                                                                  
2. Put oreos, cocoa powder, salt, and  almond meal in a food processor. pulse until it becomes a fine powder.

3. Add chopped pitted dates, and pulse until thick. it should hold together when you squeeze it with your fingers.
4. Firmly pack crust mixture onto the bottom of the greased pan.

5. In a food processor add drained soaked raw cashews, salt, coconut water, agave, vanilla and mint extract and coconut oil. Blend until it is a thick puree with no lumps. If you are using spinach or cocoa powder you can puree that into it now. 
6. Scrape contents out into a large bowl using a rubber spatula. Add crushed oreos and mix until evenly distributed.

7. scoop contents into your spring form pan. Place in freezer to set for 4-6 hours.



8. To make your ganache, heat coconut cream on the stove until hot. Pour over chocolate and mix until all chocolate is melted. If all the chocolate doesn't melt, place back on the stove on very low heat, stirring constantly. Once chocolate is completely melted and mixed, let cool.
9. After cheecake is set, remove spring form sides, and drizzle ganache over top. The cake I made was saturated in ganache, it was a little much.



In these pictures above, mine was not completely set, and a little soft, but delicious none the less! Plus no one thought it was vegan!






Thank you fragrant vanilla cake for this great idea!!


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