Vegan Cheesecake made with Cashews, Hemp Hearts, Coconut Cream, Almond Milk Yogurt and Dark Chocolate with an Almond Flour Hemp Crust
DAIRY-FREE/GRAIN-FREE/PALEO/PLANT-BASED/SOY-FREE/VEGAN/VEGETARIAN
Total Time: 8 hours and 25 minutes (or more)
Soaking Time: 4+ hours
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 15 minutes
Setting Time: 4+ hours
Makes: 12 slices
Allergens: seeds, tree nuts
Creamy, silky, decadent and vegan! This plant-based cheesecake recipe is the ultimate dessert to make to bring to your next gathering.
The velvety filling is made with soaked cashews, hemp hearts, coconut cream and almond milk yogurt that makes it almost identical to traditional cheesecake using cream cheese but packed with more essential vitamins and minerals.
Quickly bake the crust, top it with the cheesecake filling, swirl in a simple dark chocolate ganache for a bittersweet contrast, set it and forget it. It can’t get any simpler than this. Happy baking!
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Ingredients
CRUST
- 1-½ cups of almond flour
- ¼ cup of hemp hearts
- ¼ cup of coconut sugar
- ¼ cup of coconut oil, melted
FILLING
- 1-½ cups of raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight, strained and rinsed
- ¼ cup of hemp hearts
- ½ cup of agave nectar
- ⅓ cup of plain unsweetened almond milk yogurt
- ⅓ cup of coconut cream
- ⅓ cup of coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 4 oz of dark chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons of coconut cream
Steps
1.) Crust: Preheat an oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients, mix until a dough is formed, press it onto a parchment paper lined 8” springform cake pan and bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
2.) Filling: In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and purée everything into a thick, creamy texture. After the crust is baked, grease and line the inner rim of the cake mold with parchment paper and pour in the filling.
3.) Ganache layer: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave for 30-40 seconds, whisk to combine. You can either swirl the chocolate onto the cashew cheesecake filling right away or let the cheesecake layer set in the freezer for 1 hour and pour the chocolate on top after. Up to you! After incorporating the dark chocolate layer, let the cheesecake rest in the fridge overnight for best results, or in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Once the cake is set, remove it from the springform pan, slice, serve and enjoy!
Tips
- Storing and shelf life: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days
- Make sure to line the springform cake pan with parchment paper and a little oil spray to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Soaking cashews for at least 4 hours will give you the creamiest cheesecake. Soaking them overnight will yield the best results.
- Make sure the cake is fully set before removing the cake pan. Letting it set in the freezer for 4 hours or in the refrigerator overnight is the perfect amount of time.
- Make perfect cake slices by using a really sharp knife that has been washed under running hot water. Wipe the knife in between cuts.
- Garnishing is optional, but for the ‘Gram’, essential!
Q&A
- My stomach cannot take almonds, is it possible to replace the almond products? Yes! Replace the almond flour with hazelnut flour, pecan flour, walnut flour or tigernut flour using the same amount. Replace the almond milk yogurt with any unsweetened plant-based yogurt like coconut yogurt, cashew yogurt or hemp yogurt.
