Vegan Food & Living - October 2017

Dessert^ RECIPES

Total fat Saturates Salt Sugar Protein

32.3g 11.1g 0.04g 22.2g 10.5g

FOR THE CRUST

150g (5¼oz) ground

almonds

100g (3½oz) pecans

6 Medjool dates or 12

small dates, pitted

2 tbsp sweetener of choice,

such as maple syrup

1 tbsp coconut oil

FOR THE FILLING

150g (5¼oz) cashews,

soaked overnight

100g (3½oz) peanuts,

soaked overnight

250-300ml (9-11fl oz)

soy, almond or rice milk

a pinch of salt

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp sweetener of choice

1 vanilla bean, seeds

FOR THE SAUCE

5 tbsp coconut oil

6 tbsp raw cacao powder

5 tbsp sweetener of

choice, preferably

rice syrup

a pinch of salt

50-100ml (1¾-3½fl oz)

soy, almond or rice milk

FOR THE TOPPINGS

a handful of nuts, roasted

1 tbsp sweetener of choice

1 In a large bowl, soak the cashews

and peanuts in water overnight.

2 Layer a 26cm (10in) round cake tin

with parchment paper and preheat

oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 2.

3 For the crust, add the dates into a

bowl, cover with boiling water and

soak for at least 10 minutes. Roast

all the nuts in the oven for about

20 minutes. Take out of the oven,

let cool a bit and finely chop. Add

all the ingredients for the crust to

a powerful blender/food processor

and mix to a slightly thick and sticky

mixture. Add the mixture into the

cake tin and press down evenly with

your hands. Put into the freezer.

4 For the middle layer (filling), drain the

soaked nuts and add to a blender

with the remaining ingredients. Blend

to a smooth and creamy mixture for

at least 6-8 minutes. Take the crust

out of the freezer, add filling on top

and smooth out evenly. Freeze for

another 2 hours.

5 Once the cheesecake is frozen,

make the chocolate sauce. Heat up

the coconut oil on medium heat

until completely melted. Take off

the heat and add the raw cacao

powder, sweetener and pinch of

salt. Stir to a creamy consistency of

thick melted chocolate. For a more

bitter chocolate taste, add 50-70ml

(1¾-2½fl oz) milk of choice only,

stir again. If you prefer the taste of a

milkier chocolate, add 100ml (3½fl

oz) milk of choice and stir well.

6 For the garnish, add nuts into a

small saucepan together with the

sweetener of choice, and caramelize

on low-medium heat. Stir well, set

aside and let it cool completely.

7 Take the cheesecake out of the

freezer, spread chocolate sauce on

top, garnish with the caramelized

nuts and freeze for 30 minutes. Take

out of the freezer, rinse a knife with

hot water and cut into slices. (If the

cheesecake is still too hard, thaw for

a few minutes and then cut.)

Divine nougat-nut cheesecake

By Nadia Damaso

Serves 12 | Prep 25 mins plus soaking and freezing | Cook 25 mins | Calories 458 (per serving)

98 VEGAN FOOD & LIVING OCTOBER

VFL17.Dessert.indd 98 06/09/2017 12:01