Raw Chocolate, Caramel and Vanilla Cheesecake

cooking Time

serves

preparation Time

3:30

The words 'raw' and 'cake' don't naturally sound that great together, but I can assure you that this cake is both packed with superfoods, AND worthy of any after dinner dessert binge. Made with a crunchy chocolate base, a smooth, creamy filling, a rich caramel and a sweet chocolate glaze, this cake is a fabulous alternative to sugary, processed snacks, and stores in the freezer for months!

Ingredients for the base

180g dates, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
85g rolled oats
75g raw nuts
1 tsp ground vanilla beans
1 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs cacao powder

Ingredients for the filling

350g raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
150ml almond milk
160g rice malt syrup
1 tsp ground vanilla beans
1 tbs almond butter

Ingredients for the caramel

150g dates, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
1/2 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs almond butter
50ml almond milk
A pinch of salt

Ingredients for the chocolate layer

100g coconut oil
50g cacao powder
40g rice malt syrup
2 tbs peanut butter

Ingredients for the garnish and to serve

Cacao nibs and raw peanuts, to taste

Instructions for the base

Prepare a spring form cake tin by flipping the removable base upside down, greasing and lining it and securing it to the sides. This will make the cake easier to remove from the pan
In a food processor, combine dates, oats, nuts, vanilla, oil and cacao, and blitz until mixture comes together but remains chunky
Press base into prepared tin and place in the freezer

Instructions for the filling

Combine cashews, milk, syrup, vanilla, almond butter and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. The time required will depend on your food processor, but I had to blend my mixture for about 10 minutes until it was completely smooth
Remove the base from the freezer and pour filling over it, spreading it with a spatula to ensure it's even
Place mixture back into the freezer for at least 1/2 an hour

Instructions for the caramel

Place dates, oil, almond butter, milk and salt into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
Remove the base and filling from the freezer and spread caramel smoothly over cashew filling
Place mixture back into the freezer

Instructions for the chocolate layer

Place oil, cacao, syrup and peanut butter into a food processor and blitz until smooth
Remove the base, filling and caramel from the freezer and pour chocolate mixture over caramel
Place mixture back into the freezer for at least 2 hours to completely set

Instructions for the garnish and to serve

Remove cake from the freezer 20 minutes before you're ready to serve
Carefully remove cake from pan, cut into pieces and top with garnishes before serving