Raw Vegan Vanilla Cheesecake

There is limited preparation needed for this dessert as long as you have access to boiling water to speed up the soaking process. Before you begin cooking you will need access to a food processor or blender and a ~20 x 20 cm baking pan or dish that can sit in the freezer. The size does not really matter, this will just change the height and size of the cheesecake at the end of the day.

Once you have all your tools, I recommend soaking the dates, brazil nuts, pecans and almonds in boiling water separately for 30 minutes and soaking the cashews in boiling water also for around an hour- the longer you soak the cashews the more creamy the cheesecake will become. I could have soaked mine for a tiny bit longer, but it was still a good consistency.

Before you go ahead and make your own cheesecake, keep in mind the flavours you love particularly in the base. I love brazil nuts for the crunch, pecans for the twist of honey flavour and almonds for their taste (I love almonds) which I think compliments the vanilla well, but you can really choose any nuts that you desire. Also, when processing the base ingredients feel free to keep a little bit of crunch in the base by not fully processing it into a smooth base texture, I think this makes it more exciting to eat, but completely up to you.

Ingredients

Base
1 1/2 cup of dates pitted, soaked
3/4 cup of almonds, 3/4 cup pecans, 1/3 cup brazil nuts, soaked
1 heaped tbl cacao powder
2 tbl coconut oil
2 tbl coconut sugar

Filling
1 1/2 cup cashew nuts, soaked
1/4 cup maple syrup/agave/rice malt syrup
400ml coconut cream
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla bean

sprinkle of coconut flakes on the top is optional

Method

1. Soak the cashew nuts in hot water for 2 hours- the water does not need to be changed throughout.
2. Soak all the other nuts for 30 minutes as well as ALL the dates in separate jars.
3.  Combine all the base ingredients in a food processor until a sticky dough.
4. Line the baking tray with baking paper and lay the dough flat pressing down with a spoon into the edges and set in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
5. To prepare the filling, just add all ingredients to the blender or food processor and blend until smooth and is the consistency you are after.
6. Pour the filling on top of the base and return to the freezer to set for approximately 1.5-2 hours.
7. Cut with a hot knife and serve chilled.