Creamy Dreamy Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake

Good evening folks! :-)

So I had another wonderful creative day in the kitchen experimenting with how to make delicious vegan desserts and this dreamy creamy chocolate blueberry cheesecake is the result! I got inspired by recipe I found online and made it my own. :-)

Madhva, Kunti and I love this combination of melt in your mouth chocolate frosting with the tart blueberries and the hint of cardamom spice which adds a new dimension of flavor. :-) This is Madhva's favorite of all the vegan cheesecakes I have made so far. As we savored this we were exclaiming that if vegan cheesecake can taste this good and light on the tummy then we will have no desire to eat a dairy cheesecake ever again! :-) 

Easily serves 8 generous helpings. :-) Its vegan, no-bake, raw, and contains all good ingredients - can you beat that?!  Made with love and honored with joy. :-)

Cheesecake Base:

1 cup organic toasted walnuts

1/2 cup organic toasted almonds
Approx 1/4 cup organic cocoa powder (optional)

11/4  cup organic mejool dates, pits removed (if you skip the cocoa powder, then 
also remove 1/4 cup of the dates)

1 tsp organic vanilla essence

A pinch of sea salt

Whiz the nuts in a spice grinder til fairly fine. Chop and mash up the dates. 
Then evenly mix the nuts, dates vanilla and salt, kneading it into a smooth patty.
Press evenly onto the base of a spring form pan covered in grease-proof paper 
smeared lightly with coconut oil. Lightly oil sides of the spring form pan too.

Creamy Berry Filling:

4 cups frozen blueberries
2 cups organic raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
1/2 cup pure organic maple syrup 

8 TBSP organic virgin cold pressed coconut oil (melted)
2 TBSP fresh lemon and lime juice

11/2 tsp pure organic vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
Pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup organic shredded coconut
Strawberries, kiwi's and blueberries to garnish

Blend the following until smooth and creamy: 
3 cups of the blueberries, cashews,maple syrup, coconut oil, lime juice, vanilla extract, cardamom and salt. Set aside.

Arrange 1 cup of blueberries over the crust pressing them lightly into the crust. 

Sprinkle the shredded coconut on top (to help absorb the water from the frozen 
berries. (The cake will also taste just fine without the extra berries so this entire 
step is optional).Pour the berry filling over this or the plain base - as you choose.

Put it in freezer for approx 10 mins to set a little. Then garnish the top with cut 
strawberries, kiwi fruits and blueberries, pressing them lightly into the top so they 
are even with the face of the filling.

Place in freezer for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight to set fully.

Remove from freezer approx 1 hour before serving to soften and keep in the fridge. 

Take it out of the spring form pan and base. Place on a flat cake plate of your 
choice. Be aware - if it thaws out fully it will basically just melt like ice cream - so 
keep chilled.

This is how mine looked after a night in the freezer and an hour of thawing out - I 
already garnished with flowers and sprinkled the sides with shredded coconut to 
absorb moisture because it looked a little mushy.

Chocolate frosting cream:

2 medium sized perfectly ripe avocados, peeled and sliced, remove any dark spots/blemishes

Approx 1 cup maple syrup

Approx 1 cup of organic cocoa powder

Approx 3-4 TBSP extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil or to taste

Approx 1 tsp vanilla essence

4 mejool dates, pitted

Blend everything together til silky smooth. Put into a piping bag with a small round hole nozzle. Seal and set in fridge overnight.

Before serving the cheesecake decorate it with the frosting cream as you like - I did a retro filigree design - above. Garnish with flowers and shredded coconut if you like.

Very delicious! I served with an extra dollop of the chocolate mouse which I'd used for the frosting - Yummy! :-) 

Dig in folks! Look at that creamy texture, oh la la! :-D

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Pie

Good afternoon folks! :-)

Its beginning to look and feel like Autumn outside with leaves falling and a fresh note of coolness in the air. I simply love this time of the year! :-) 

I just got out of the kitchen from cooking lunch, which was brown rice veggie burgers and ketchup, baked pesto pasta using homemade pesto, salad, and a dessert. Today's special experiment was the dessert - a vegan raspberry chocolate mousse pie. Ive been wanting to try making a chocolate mousse with avocado's for a long time, so I'm really pleased I finally tried the idea out. 

My friend Mandali who is staying with me right now told me this recipe is definitely delicious and blog worthy! :-) So happy dessert making to you! 

Makes 1 standard size pie = approx 8-10 servings. Prep time is approx 1/2 an hr.

Pie Crust:
Approx 1 1/2 cups quick oats
Approx 1 cup sprouted pancake and waffle mix flour (Arrowhead Mills)
3-4 TBSP organic coconut oil
Approx 3/4 cup fine raw cane sugar
1 pinch sea salt
1 tsp vanilla essence or powder
water as needed

Add all ingredients except water into a mixing bowl. Rub oil into dry ingredients. Add enough water to make the mixture moist enough to form into a smooth pastry.

Press a thin layer into an oiled glass pie dish. Bake the pie shell at 385 degrees Fahrenheit til golden brown. Set aside to cool. You can form the extra pastry into leaf shapes and bake separately for use as decorations.

Alternative no-bake crust:
1 cup mejool dates, cut into pieces
11/2 cup walnuts or almonds
pinch sea salt
1 tsp vanilla essence

Whiz the nuts up in spice grinder to medium fine powder. In a bowl mix dates, nuts, salt and vanilla. Mash til dates are broken up and you have a nice pastry. Press into a pie dish and chill for an hour or so in the fridge, or if you are in a hurry, flash freeze it in the freezer to your desired firm texture.

Mousse Filling:
3 perfectly ripe avocados, peel, remove stone, and cut avocado's into slices, removing any dark spots/blemishes
Approx 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
Approx 1 1/4 cup of organic cocoa powder
Approx 2-3 TBSP extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil or to taste
Approx 3 tsp vanilla essence
6 mejool dates, pitted

Blend everything together til smooth. Pour into cooled pie shell. 

You can also serve this mousse as is, chilled with raspberries, peaches, sprinkled with nuts etc., or as a frosting, in a trifle, or use as a cream for a cake. 

Pie Decor:
1 cup of fresh raspberries 
Baked pastry leaves 

Decorate with baked leaf shapes and raspberries. Best served chilled.