Vegan Cappucino Cheesecakes

Believe it or not the idea for this dessert came from wanting to try and create a vegan sponge cake to use as a patterned joconde imprime (fancy french talk for sponge with a patten in it used to wrap a cake in. See here). One look at this recipe and you can probably guess things did not go as originally planned... but let's not dwell on that! 

I love coffee. I love vanilla. I love chocolate. 

Combine the three into a multi-layered, vegan, gluten and dairy free, nature packed chilled dessert and you kind of know its going to be some sort of amazing. Vegan sponge be damned! (for now...muh ha ha!)

Now I decided to be a sadist and make individual-sized cakes but you could easily just use a small baking tin to make one large cake and slice it as needed. Also, I used instant coffee in the base and middle layer but if you wanted to make this dessert totally raw you could swap these for the cold-dripped variety, though the flavour may not be as strong. Do what you wish free-will lovers! 

Vegan Cappuccino Cheesecakes

For the Base 

1 cup of dates, pitted
1 tsp dried instant coffee

1 cup of raw nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, cashews etc.)

2 tbsp organic cacao powder

1 tbsp pure maple or agave syrup

For the Cheesecake Filling 

2 cups raw cashews, soaked until softened

2 cups raw macadamias, soaked until softened

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup water (add a little at a time as needed)

2 heaped tbsp raw cacao

2 tbsp super strong black coffee, cooled

(coffee amount will depend on your tastes!)

To make the base simply blend the dates, nuts, cacao and sweetener in a food processor until totally chopped and it comes together to form a dough consistency (if its still to dry add a teaspoon of water at a time and blend until it all comes together. 

Press the mixture into the base of non-stick baking tin or the individual non-stick muffin tray holes. Freeze while you make the filling. 

To make the filling blend everything except the cacao and coffee in the food processor until totally smooth and 'creamy' (mine took about 6 minutes).

Divide the mixture into three bowls. Into one add the raw cacao and mix until totally combined. Spoon the chocolate cheesecake mixture on top of the chilled base(s) and smooth flat. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow it to firm up.

In the second bowls of filling stir through the coffee and spoon or pipe it on top of the firmed chocolate layer.  Chill again for the coffee layer the firm. 

Spoon or pipe the remaining plain filling mixture atop the coffee layer and carefully smooth the top. 

Chill the entire cake for about an hour to allow it to totally set.     

Remove from the freezer and dust with some extra cacao, top with some raw nuts or just eat as is.

Enjoy! xo