Vegan Berry Cheesecake

My good friend Fi made this dessert (one very similar) for me about 8 years ago, it was before the vegan dessert craze had taken off and I had never before tried anything like it, needless to say I was impressed. I still find it remarkable how much of a creamy texture you can get from the cashews. This recipe is wonderfully easy to make and doesn’t have a million expensive ingredients so I find I come back to it often. You can play around with lots of different topping ideas, today I have made a thick berry compote, which oozes down the sides as the cake defrosts creating a pretty drizzle effect.

What you’ll need

1 cup of pitted Medjool dates

1 cup of raw almonds

1 1/2 cups of raw cashews

1 large lemon

1/3 cup of coconut oil

2/3 cup of coconut milk

1/2 cup of maple syrup

1 1/2 cups of mixed berries

1/2 cup of coconut sugar

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Prep

Soak Cashews

Cover cashews with water and soak overnight is best.

Place the pitted dates and almonds in a food processor and blitz till crumbly.

Line the base and sides of a springform cake tin with baking paper and press the crust mix into the base of the tin.

Place in the freezer.

Make Filling

Combine the cashews, lemon juice, coconut oil, coconut milk and maple syrup in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

Cover the crust with the filling, and spread out so that the top is smooth and level.

Return to the freezer.

Make Topping

Place the mixed berries in a medium pot with the sugar and two tablespoons of water.

Bring up to the boil, then continue to boil for 3 minutes until the mixture has thickened.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool down.

Once the berry compote is cool to touch spread over the top of the cheesecake and return to the freezer.

This is a dessert that is best frozen. It will keep for 1-2 weeks in the freezer. Just remove from the freezer 5 minutes before you want to cut it.

Enjoy!