Chocolate "Cheesecake"

A rich, decadent crowd pleaser with no cooking involved...

Everyone loves a chocolate dessert and this one gives maximum wow factor with minimum effort. Dress it up with fresh fruit and maybe a little coconut yoghurt or whipped coconut cream, smile, serve, and wait for the compliments to flood in. It's raw and gluten free too.​

The only thing that takes a little time and is worth paying attention to is the lining of your springform or loose bottomed tin. The chocolate part of the dessert is quite loose and it needs to be contained well so you have no leakages while it's setting.  

Start off with a square of baking paper slightly larger than your tin. Draw around the tin and then snip at about 2 cm intervals from the outer edge to meet your drawn line. The fit into your tin and allow the snipped parts to overlap. Finally, take a strip of baking paper longer than the circumference of your tin and position it around the inside of the tin and over the fringed edge of the other paper.  This will provide a good seal and allow the finished dessert to be removed easily from the tin.​ ​

Now onto the recipe....

Ingredients for the base

1 1/2 cups of packed pitted dates (Medjool if possible)
1 1/4 cups of shredded coconut (unsweetened)
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil
A little water if needed to bind

Ingredients for the topping

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup soy milk (or preferred choice)
2 tbsp icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
400g dark chocolate
400ml tin of coconut cream

First make your base. In a food processor add the dates, shredded coconut, cocoa powder and coconut oil and process until a ball forms. Test with your fingers if its firm and holding together. If it's not, add a tsp or two of water and process again. Now tip this into your lined tin and using your fingers, gently press it around the base and towards the edges. Once you are happy you've created a nice even layer and its right to the edge all the way around, place the tin into the freezer while you prepare the topping.

Place your cashews, soy milk, icing sugar and vanilla into a blender and process until as smooth as possible. Put to one side. Break your chocolate up into a large microwavable bowl and heat in minute intervals until its almost all melted. Take it out and stir until the final little lumps are melted. You'll need a hand whisk at the ready for the next part. Give your tin of coconut cream a good shake and open. Working quickly, pour your coconut cream and your cashew mixture into your chocolate and whisk together until it's all incorporated and silky smooth. 

Remove your base from the freezer and pour over your chocolate topping. Place it back in the freezer for at approximately 3 hours or until firm. 

Gently take it out of your tin and remove all of the paper. The dessert will soften quickly so keep it in the fridge if you aren't serving immediately. This dessert is very rich and would easily serve 10 to 12 people.