I have to admit, I used to have a sort of prejudice against raw desserts disbelieving in their potential goodness. Oh was I wrong. This is one of my favorite desserts I have ever made. Ever. The chocolate hazelnut cheesecake is so rich and creamy your friends won't believe that it's vegan.
Crust
1 cup hazelnut meal
¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cocoa powder
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
Filling
2 cups raw cashews, soaked and rinsed
¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons hazelnut butter (peanut butter works too)
½ cup coconut oil, melted
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup cocoa powder
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Sauce
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup cocoa powder
The best pan to use for this recipe would be a Flexi-pan or other type of silicone mold. Otherwise a spring form pan works great. If you're very brave and don't have a Flexi-pan but want individual cheesecakes, use a muffin pan, lightly oiled. It will take a little tlc to get the cheesecakes out, but you can do it! This recipe would fill a 9" spring form pan or about 12 individual molds.
1)
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until it starts to come together. Press the crust into the bottom of desired pan, about ¼ inch thick. Set aside while you making the filling.
2)
In a food processor or mixer blend together cashews, maple syrup, water and salt. Mix until totally smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary. Add cocoa powder, hazelnut butter and coconut oil to the cashew mixture and blend them all together, scraping down again, until mixture is uniformly combined.
3)
Spoon or pipe the filling on top of the crusts. Stick the cheesecake in the freezer until solid all the way through (at least 2 hours for individual cheesecakes, 4 for a large cheesecake).
4)
Once frozen, remove the cheesecake from the pan. If using a silicone mold they will easily pop out. If you have a muffin tin, run a sharp, hot knife around the edges of each cheesecake, flip the tin upside down and give it a few good whacks against the counter. They should start to slowly side out at this point. Be patient, gravity is on your side. If a few minutes have passed and the cheesecakes are still refusing to drop, use a lighter to heat the bottom of the tin briefly; the heat will help release the cake.
5)
Place the cheesecakes in the refrigerator and make the chocolate sauce.
