Treat yourself, or a loved one, this Valentine’s Day with this super indulgent (but sneakily nutritious) chocolate cheesecake. Created by our resident Chef, Dani Venn, it’s sure to bring a moment of joy and lasting good vibes.
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cooking time:
480 minutes
Servings:
10
Ingredients:
Base
- 1 ½ cups hazelnut meal (or almond meal if hazelnut unavailable)
- 10 semi dried dates
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon Melrose Organic Full Flavoured Coconut Oil
- ½ teaspoon salt flakes
Filling
- 1 ½ cups natural or raw cashew nuts, soaked for 4 hours
- 1/3 cup Melrose Rice Syrup (or liquid sweetener like pure maple syrup, agave or honey)
- ¼ cup coconut cream or milk, thick part of the can
- ½ cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
- ¼ cup Melrose Organic Full Flavoured Coconut Oil
- 1 teaspoon salt flakes
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Melrose Essential Red Powder, to dust as garnish
Method:
If using whole hazelnuts, toast nuts in a frypan over low heat swirling the pan occasionally to ensure even toasting for about 5 – 10 minutes, or until the skins naturally peel back. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before rubbing off the skins. Place in high powered blender and blitz on high for 5 seconds until hazelnuts resemble a meal. Alternatively use premade roasted hazelnut meal.
Add dates into the blender along with coconut oil and shredded coconut and blitz until a smooth dough has formed and when you squeeze the dough together it sticks.
Divide dough mixture between your lined muffin pans or mini cheesecake pans so that you have about 1 – 1.5 cms thick base and that its evenly spread.
Place all filling ingredients, including soaked cashews, liquid sweetener, coconut cream, cacao powder, coconut oil, salt flakes and lemon juice into a clean high powered blender. Blend on high until smooth, scraping down the sides of the pan as needed.
When mix is smooth, taste it, if it needs more sweetener add a little more until you are happy with it. If the mix isn’t smooth you can add more liquid like coconut cream to help make it smoother. Divide mix by pouring on top of bases and place in the freezer to freeze so that you can unmould and then place in the freezer to soften. Serve straight from the fridge and store in the fridge. The cake should be a fudgy consistency when eaten.
Tips:
- If using honey, use a little less and to taste as honey can have an overpowering flavour.
- Chill coconut cream or milk in fridge, scoop the hard or thick part that forms at the top for this recipe.
- Store in freezer but allow to soften before serving or store in fridge.