I have been wanting to try these vegan raw mini cheesecakes types forever. I know it might not sound appealing to a lot of you but it actually really is delicious! And I'm not saying it's very easy to make, but it's not too much trouble either. And it's super healthy. You should give it a try and believe me, you will actually like it:I found this recipe and adapted it slightly. A funny thing is people who tasted it found that it tasted coconut a lot and I was saying: I don't remember using coconut at all, it must be something else! But in fact that recipe uses a lot of coconut milk and some coconut oil (I have a fragrance free one but still...). So indeed, if you don't like coconut, that recipe isn't for you !Also, before I head on the actual ingredients and steps, a little disclaimer: the flowers on my pictures are not edible. They are wax flowers actually. Very beautiful and I love the colours of it with the blueberry cakes! But don't do it at home if you know there is a risk someone will actually eat it !
Ingredients:
Base:
1 cup dates (roughly chopped)
1 cup almonds (with skin)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
a pinch of salt
Vanilla layer:
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 ½ cups cashews (soaked)
3 Tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Blueberry layer:
½ cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 cup blueberries (fresh)
1 cup cashews (soaked)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup
Steps by step:
First try to remember the day before making the cakes to soak the cashews over night (or you can boil them 10 minutes on the day but I find it's less nice!). Also, you need a muffin tray that actually fit your freezer.
For the base:Blend the dates, Almonds, coconut oil and salt in a blender or food prossessor until you have a smooth texture (even if crumbs are left in). The original recipe suggests to grease a cupcake tin with coconut oil and press the base in the tin using your fingers. But I suggest you do like me and cut some large baking paper bands and put it in the base. It will be easier to take the muffin off later.
For the vanilla layer:Mix the coconut milk and oil together. You can easily do it by melting the oil on a hob or close to a warm source. Pour the mixture into the blender.Add the cashews, maple syrup, vanilla extract and lemon juice and blend well until smooth. You want a thick, smooth and creamy texture.Pour the vanilla layer on top of the base layer and put it in the freezer to set while you prepare the next layer.
For the blueberry layer:Again mix the coconut milk and oil and pour the mixture into the blender.Add the blueberries, cashews, lemon juice, vanilla extract and the maple syrup and blend until creamy and smooth.Pour the blueberry layer on top and put the tray back in the freezer or fridge. Before I put it in the freezer, I decorated cakes with sprinkle of chocolate and blueberries (and flowers for the beauty of the pics).
Let the cakes set for at least 3 hours but preferably over night in the fridge or freezer. For having done both, I preferred the freezer version of them but maybe because they looked nicer and tasted like ice cream. However you have to give the cupcakes 2 to 3 hours to defrost before serving if you kept it in the freezer. The fridge and defrosted version are more like a mousse cake if you see what I mean.I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!If you try it, let me know how it goes!