Raw Valentines chocolate cheesecake (vegan & GF)

I’ve been playing around with a few Valentines themed recipes lately and I’m pleased to say that the ideas seem to have just been flowing! I mean, when you think of Valentines day, pretty much every sweet treat or dessert is laden with chocolate.. so how hard can chocolate themed recipes really be? Just whip up something really decadent and chocolately and then add something pink and voila! 

I’ve been loving the whole chocolate berry combination.. especially raspberries, as they’re my absolute favourite fruit; I could literally eat bowl after bowl of them! I’ve come up with a few different Valentines recipes, that I’ll be sharing over the course of the next week, so you’ll have plenty of foodie inspiration for the day. The others are more like little snacks as oppose to an a actual cake style dessert, so this is probably the most indulgent of the lot. However, it’s still fairly simple to prepare and doesn’t require too many complicated steps. 

I think the cake would serve around 2-4 people, depending on how hungry you are.. or how much you like chocolate! But it would be a nice thing to make for a special Valentines meal with your partner, as a whole large cake might be a little much and could end up going to waste. So if you’re not going out this Valentines day, why not cook a nice relaxing dinner, then tuck into a delicious slice of raw cheesecake in front of a good film on the sofa! 

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Raw Valentines Chocolate cheesecake

Ingredients

Base

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup dates
• Small tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp milled flaxseed
• Pinch of pink salt

Filling

• 1 cup cashews (soaked for 4 hours)
• 1/3 cup soft dates
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• Dash of vanilla extract or powder
• 1/4 cup canned coconut milk
• Water
• 1 tbsp date syrup
• 31/2 tbsp raw cacao powder

Berry sauce

• 1 tbsp macadamia nut butter
• Tsp freeze dried berry powder
• Tsp maple sugar/syrup
• Almond milk

Instructions

1. For the base of the cake, add the almonds into your food processor and blitz on their own for a few seconds until slightly crushed. Pour in the remaining base ingredients and blend again until well combined.
2. Transfer the mixture into a small cake tin and firmly press down to create a smooth base. (I like to use a tin with a removable base for this.) Leave this in the freezer whilst you make the cheesecake layer.
3. Drain and rinse your cashews and add them into a food processor or high speed blender along with the dates, cacao powder, date syrup, coconut milk, coconut oil and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add a splash of water to help everything blend if needed.
4. Pour the filling over the cheesecake base and allow this to set in the freezer for at least three hours.
5. To make the berry sauce, combine the nut butter, berry powder, maple sugar and almond milk and mix until smooth. Add more almond milk until you’re left with a pourable consistency.
6. Once your cake is set, remove it from the tin and transfer onto a serving plate. Drizzle with the sauce and top with garnishing of your choice.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2