Mini Vegan Strawberry Cheesecakes

by Claire, 3 years ago

Our guest-blogger Part-Time Veggie has created the most delicious (healthier) dessert! ENJOY!

In Winter we tend to crave warm, comforting puddings like sticky toffee and apple pie. So I’ve just gone totally left field today with my very summery cheesecake recipe, but these are so yummy and unique that they’re a treat in any season.

I bet you never thought you’d hear vegan and cheesecake in the same sentence, did you? I was also suspicious the first time. But they really are not only vegan, but completely healthy. In small doses of course, as with any of my desserts. The key is to eat just one or two, not six because they’re mini and cute and surely it can’t hurt to have just one more…. ignore that devil. He doesn’t have to work it off at Boot Camp.

The key ingredient in vegan cheesecake is cashew nuts. When soaked and blended, cashews make the smoothest, silkiest butter. Add coconut cream and you have a velvety filling fit for a queen (or a vegan, because let’s face it, they deserve something other than mushroom risotto).

You will need a blender for this recipe and a fair amount of patience. It’s not quick to put together, but it’s worth the surprise on people’s faces when they bite into something that looks familiar but tastes so different – in a good way!

Mini Vegan Strawberry Cheesecakes

Makes 12

Ingredients:

The Crust:

• ½ cup raw almonds
• ½ cup macadamia nut flour (or other nut flour – but it’s nice to have a mix of nuts, so if you use almond here, try pecan nuts or hazelnuts instead of almonds)
• 1 cup dried dates, soaked in water for 2 hours

Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 ½ cups cashews, soaked for 4 hours
• ½ cup coconut cream
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup coconut nectar (or if you’re not vegan, use raw honey)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Juice from half a lemon
• Pinch salt
• 125g fresh strawberries

Instructions:

1. Cut strips of baking paper and line the cups of a standard muffin pan. You can just grease the muffin pan, but I found this method makes it much easier to remove the cheesecakes from the pan.
2. For the crust, place all ingredients in a food processor and run until crumbly and holds together well (you can also use a blender for this, but be careful not to blend so much that the nuts start turning into butter). Take generous tablespoons of the crust and mold to the bottom of each muffin holder. Press down with your fingers, letting it come up the sides slightly. When all slots are filled with crust place in the freezer to set while you prepare the filling.
3. To make the filling, add all ingredients except strawberries to a blender. Run until completely smooth and creamy. This took a while for me – about 5 minutes. I had to use a wooden spoon to help things along as it’s very thick and struggles to mix.
4. While this is mixing, heat the strawberries in a pan with a dash of coconut nectar and olive oil. Add more sweetener to taste – some people prefer a fresher strawberry coulis with less sweetener.
5. Add strawberry coulis to cashew mixture and blend. Pour filling evenly into muffin tins and add a swirl of strawberry on top of each cheesecake.
6. Place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours. Once set and ready to serve, have them thaw for a few minutes then pull up the baking paper and out they will come. Store in fridge.

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