Hey, loves.

Today, prepare to be “wowed” by this delectable treat. I’ve served it up SO many times and everyone always loves it. 

Chocolate-Espresso Cheesecake [Vegan]

Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Size: 10

Ingredients:

Crust

• ¾ cup / 100g almonds
• ¼ cup / 60ml coconut oil
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
• ¼ tsp. fine-grain sea salt
• 1 ½ cups / 150g rolled oats, divided, gluten-free if necessary

Filling

• 1 ½ cups / 200g cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
• ¾ cup / 175 ml pure maple syrup
• ½ cup / 125 ml coconut oil
• 1/3 cup / 30g cocoa powder (I used raw cacao powder)
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I used seeds of ½ vanilla bean)
• ½ tsp. fine-grain sea salt
• 1/4 cup fresh-made espresso (optional)
• coconut flakes, for garnish (optional)
• 1/3 cup / 75 ml dark chocolate chips, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Crust

1. Make the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish with coconut oil.
2. In a food processor, blend ½ cup of the rolled oats on high until you have a rough flour, place a small bowl and set aside. Without cleaning the machine, process the almonds into a fine crumb with the texture of sand. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, and oat flour and process again until the dough comes together. Finally, add the remaining 1 cup of rolled oats and pulse until the oats are chopped, but still have some texture to them. The dough should stick together slightly when pressed between your fingers. If it doesn’t, try adding a bit more maple syrup or processing a bit longer.
3. With your fingers, crumble the dough evenly over the base of the pie dish. Starting from the middle, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the dish, moving outward and upward along the side of the pie dish. The harder you press the crumbs into the dish, the better the crust will hold together. Poke a few fork holes into the bottom to let steam escape.
4. Bake the crust, uncovered, for 10 to 13 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes.

Filling

1. Drain and rinse the cashews. In a high-speed blender, combine the soaked cashews, maple syrup, oil, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and espresso, and blend on high until the filling is completely smooth. It can take a few minutes of blending to get it smooth, depending on your blender. If the blender needs more liquid to get it going, add a tablespoon (15 mL) of almond milk (or a bit more) to help it along.
2. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, smoothing out the top evenly. Garnish with shaved chocolate, melted chocolate chips, and/or coconut flakes if desired.
3. Place the pie dish on an even surface in the freezer, uncovered. Freeze for a couple of hours, and then cover the dish with foil and freeze overnight, or for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours, until the pie sets.
4. Remove the pie from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before slicing. This pie is meant to be served frozen. Serve with delicious Cashew Crème (recipe below) and finely chopped chocolate, if desired, but it’s fantastic all on its own, too. Wrap leftover slices individually in foil and store them in an airtight container in the freezer for 1 to 1½ weeks.

Optional: Top the cheesecake with drizzles of cashew cream.

Cashew Cream [Live Food, Vegan]

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 4 Tbsp. water
• a couple pinches sea salt

Directions:

1. Soak cashews. Drain and rinse.
2. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix) and blend on high until completely smooth. Salt and/or sweeten to taste. Store in the fridge.

Did you like this recipe?

If so, try out the matcha-chocolate cheesecake which is also vegan.

Love,

Mandy