While perfecting this recipe we came to the conclusion that neither of us has had cheesecake with dairy. We cannot attest to how similar this confection is to said food, but it is smooth, creamy, a tad sweet, and is reminiscent of chocolate hazelnut butter. Right now the crust is slightly sweet with a less sweet filling and is perfect for our tastes, but if you enjoy a sweeter experience, feel free to increase the maple syrup in the filling. Or, if you use store bought chocolate hazelnut butter this will likely have sugar and can be another way to increase sweetness in the filling.
Pans needed: 4” springform pan
Makes: One 4” cheesecake
Time: 30 minutes active time; 4 hrs total
Ingredients
For the crust:
⅓ c pecans
⅓ c dates
½ tsp salt
For the filling:
1 c soaked cashews
½ c almond milk plus additional for blending
⅓ c roasted hazelnut butter (optionally substitute for chocolate hazelnut butter)
2 tbsp melted cacao butter
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla powder or extract
For the toppings (optional):
cacao nibs
hazelnuts
chocolate chips
In a food processor, mix all the “for the crust” ingredients until they are sticky and able to form a crust. There will still be some small chunks, that is ideal. Be careful not to over-mix since if you mix too much you will end up with nut butter (which is delicious but will not form a crust). Press the crust mixture into the bottom of your springform pan and set in the refrigerator.
In a blender, blend all of the “for the filling” ingredients using the tamper as you blend. If needed, add additional almond milk one tablespoon at a time (we used 2 additional tablespoons) until the mixture is fully blended. Blend until smooth and then pour onto the crust. Put this in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
Remove from freezer 1 hour before serving. If you plan to top with chocolate drizzles, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler. Optionally top with cacao nibs and chopped hazelnuts. Drizzle with melted chocolate chips and enjoy!
Note: When we are removing the cheesecake filling from the blender we inevitably cannot get everything out — there is always a thin film of chocolate hazelnut stuck to the sides and bottom. Before cleaning the blender, we like to blend these leftovers with almond milk for some chocolate milk for us to enjoy while we finish making the cake.
