Cheesecake, Raw, Vegan, Wheat Free

Raw Vegan Chocolate ‘Cheesecake’

April 27, 2015

raw vegan chocolate cheesecake // bakeaholic.ca

For all intents and purposes this is a chocolate cheesecake. 

However, it isn’t made with any cheese, or dairy, at all. Therefore, it’s a ‘cream’ cake – with the emphasis on coconut cream. 

It was my mom’s birthday last week and we had a family dinner to celebrate. Every year I ask her what type of cake she would like for her birthday. This year, she asked for a decadent chocolate cheesecake, being one of her favourites. I took this as a challenge to make it not only dairy free, but raw and vegan as well.

Myself and my soon to be sister-in-law have a dairy intolerance and therefore can’t indulge in things like cheesecake, though i would love to. So, I decided to see if I could trick my mom by making this version of her favourite dessert. 

I easily found this recipe from the Minimalist Baker’s website, and I had seen it taste-test approved by a fellow Vancouver blogger Erin Ireland. The ingredient list looked simple and the steps easy. The result? An amazing, creamy, chocolate-y, indulgent cheesecake reminiscent cake that requires no baking what-so-ever. topped with dairy-free chocolate ganache. Amazing,

raw vegan chocolate cheesecake // bakeaholic.caraw vegan chocolate cheesecake // bakeaholic.caWhen you think about it, it’s kind of funny that a chilled cheesecake actually requires any baking at all (in the traditional recipes) – so why not cut out that step all together and have a true chilled no bake ‘cheesecake.’ 

This recipe is absolutely amazing – and require half the amount of time, and energy (of you & your appliances) to make. Traditional cheesecake requires a long bake time, followed by cooling and then chilling in the refrigerator, a very tedious process.

With this simple recipe there is no baking, and only minimal chilling time required. I chose to make a large cheesecake for dessert with the family, but you can definitely make this in a smaller version if you want to half the recipe.


raw vegan chocolate cheesecake // bakeaholic.ca
raw vegan chocolate cheesecake // bakeaholic.caraw vegan chocolate cheesecake // bakeaholic.ca

raw vegan chocolate cheesecake // bakeaholic.ca sliced

Fool your dairy-loving cheesecake fans with this easy recipe

Raw Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
Serves 12
A creamy, dreamy alternative to the traditional cheesecake made dairy free and vegan.
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Prep Time
4 hr
Cook Time
5 hr
Total Time
10 hr
Prep Time
4 hr
Cook Time
5 hr
Total Time
10 hr
Crust
  1. 2 cups medjool dates, pitted
  2. 2 Tbs. boiling water
  3. 2 1/2 cups raw almonds (or any other nut)
  4. 1/2 cup oreo cookie crumbs or graham cracker crumbs
Filling
  1. 3 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight or at least 5 hours
  2. 1/2 cup lemon juice
  3. 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  4. two 14-ounce cans of coconut cream (or full fat coconut milk)
  5. 1 + 3/4 cups dark chocolate (chopped and melted in microwave on 1 minutes intervals, power level 6)
  6. 1/4 cup maple syrup
Ganache
  1. 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped or chips
  2. 1/2 can coconut milk
Crust
  1. Add pitted dates to a food processor along with boiling water and blend until smooth.
  2. In a high powered blender, add nuts and graham crumbs and process into a meal.
  3. Add the almond graham crumb meal to the dates and pulse until it forms a dough. It should be slightly sticky, and not too dry. If too sticky, add more nuts or even oatmeal. If you find it is too dry, add a touch more water or dates. You may want to do it in two batches depending on how large your food processor is.
  4. If you're making one large cheesecake, press the dough into the baking dish and push up the sides. I like to use the back of a spoon to smooth it out. If making individual cheesecakes, line ramekin with parchment and then divide crust evenly.
  5. Place in fridge to chill while preparing the filling.
Filling
  1. Drain the cashews.
  2. Add all filling ingredients to a high powered blender and mix until very smooth. Again, you may wish to do this in two batches if you are doubling the recipe. Continue to blend until silky smooth, you may need to add more liquid (lemon juice or syrup) if needed. Batter should be creamy and smooth.
  3. Divide filling evenly among the ramekins or large quick-release pan.
  4. Place in refrigerator for 4-5 hours, or overnight. This is a great make-ahead dessert that you can make and refrigerate overnight.
  5. When ready to eat, slide a sharp knife around the edges and release.
Ganache
  1. If you'd like to top it with a ganache, heat the coconut milk in a small pot on medium heat until steaming. Pour over chopped chocolate and let sit 5 minutes. Using a spatula stir together melted chocolate and coconut milk until a thick chocolate glaze is created. Set aside to cool for another 5-10 minutes. Pour over a chilled cheesecake and let sit until ready to serve.
Notes
  1. I doubled this recipe (as seen in the pictures) for a 10-inch baking dish. If you would like to make a smaller, or individual cheesecakes as seen on Minimalist Baker's website visit the link. Adjust recipe according to your baking dish size. If you'd like to make a large cheesecake like I did, use the above recipe.
  2. I found with the large one, even in the fridge overnight it is creamy, but if you want to place it in the freezer for a half hour or so before it will be even more chilled and solid if you prefer.
Adapted from The Minimalist Baker
b a k e a h o l i c https://www.bakeaholic.ca/

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4 Comments

  • Reply Justine April 27, 2015 at 5:38 PM

    What did your mom think??

    This looks sooooo good. *drooool*

    • Reply Alicia April 28, 2015 at 9:42 PM

      haha she loved it! I didn’t tell her until after we were eating =)

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