Mocha maple "cheese'' cake

Tamara West

This "cheesecake'’ is in inverted commas because it contains no cheese or dairy. The rich creamy filling is made from cashew nuts, soaked in water to soften them before being blended until smooth. The texture mimics cream cheese so well that it comes as a surprise to first time eaters that there is no dairy in it.

Base

140 g	Raw almonds, just over ¾ of a cup (Main)
¾ cup	Desiccated coconut
8 large	Medjool dates, pitted (Main)
4 ½ Tbsp	Coconut oil, melted, or you can use unsalted butter
1 pinch	Salt

Filling

2 cups	Raw cashew nuts, soaked in water overnight (Main)
¼ cup	Coconut oil
¼ cup	Maple syrup
2 Tbsp	Liquid honey
¼ cup	Coconut cream
2 tsp	Vanilla essence, or extract
⅓ cup	Coffee, very strong brewed
100 g	Dark chocolate, good quality, Whittaker's Dark Ghana or Green and Blacks organic 70% cocoa chocolate
1 tsp	Coconut oil, or another neutral oil like grapeseed oil

To serve

1 drizzle	Maple syrup
¼ cup	Bitter chocolate, shavings

Directions

1. Place all base ingredients in a food processor and blitz until well combined and crumbly. The mixture should hold together well when pinched together. Press into the base of a lightly greased and lined spring-form 20cm (or near enough) cake tin with the back of a spoon.
2. Drain soaked cashew nuts and place in a food processor with coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, coconut cream, vanilla and coffee. Blitz until very smooth — this will take at least 3-4 minutes in the food processor. Pour mixture over the base and place in the fridge while you melt the chocolate.
3. Break chocolate into pieces and place in the top of a double boiler with the coconut oil, or in a glass bowl set above a pot of barely simmering water, and stir gently until melted.
4. Take cheesecake out of the fridge and drizzle melted chocolate all over. Create swirls with a fork if you like. Cover and place in the freezer for at least two hours or until set.
5. Decorate cake with a drizzle of maple syrup and dark chocolate shavings. If serving from frozen, let it thaw on the bench for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.