In my July 17th Instagram post, I urged everyone to riffle through their recipe books and try a new recipe every now and then. This is a great way to expand your cooking skills and discover exciting dishes to shake-up a repetitive weekly menu.
On Saturday, I walked the walk. Only I made a fatal error - attempting to master the recipe without wearing my reading glasses! This paved the way for two crucial mistakes - I thought I was filling a 12 inch cake tin (when it said 12cm cake tin - hence the very lean-looking raspberry layer!:( I also added liquid (coconut oil & water) to the crust ingredients before blending them sufficiently - hence the 'rough' crumb rather than smooth biscuit-base.
But some very positive learning came from my balls-up. I discovered through freezing the cheesecake overnight (rather than the recommended 4-6 hours - yes, too much computer work has clearly trashed my eyesight!), that you could make the most delicious ice-pops for hot sunny days or a healthy after-dinner treat (just blend the raspberry coconut topping, pour the mixture into lolly moulds & freeze overnight).
Anyway, thankfully, it wasn't the queen coming to tea, just my family - who love me for all my (cooking) flaws:)
Here's the recipe for VEGAN RASPBERRY COCONUT CHEESECAKE (with quantities for an 8 inch cake tin - giving you a nice topping three times the height of the one in my photo)
Ingredients for the crust/base :
½ cup gluten-free oats
½ cup almonds raw
½ cup desiccated coconut unsweetened
2 large Medjool dates
¼ tsp of sea salt
1 tbsp of coconut oil unrefined
1-2 tbsp cold water
Ingredients for the topping:
3 cups /450g cashews soaked in boiling water for 15-20 minutes, drained
1½ cups coconut cream solid part from a can of full fat coconut milk
3 tbsp of coconut oil unrefined
1½ cup of fresh or frozen raspberries
9 tbsp of maple syrup
Juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon (depending upon desired acidity)
6-12 tbsp of coconut milk if needed
Instructions:
Add the oats, almonds, coconut, dates, and salt to a food processor. Blitz until wet sand consistency. THEN add coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Blend again and see if the dough starts to come together. If not, add an extra tablespoon of cold water.
Line an 8" cake tin with parchment paper. Firmly press the crust into the bottom of the tin. Place in the freezer while you prepare the raspberry layer.
Add all raspberry layer ingredients, except the coconut milk, to a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Scrape the sides whenever necessary. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of coconut milk if needed (you want the consistency to be like a smoothie, not a juice).
Pour the raspberry layer on top of the crust. Place in the freezer for 4-6 hours to set like a mousse/cheesecake (but not to freeze solid)
Take out of the freezer 20-30 minutes before serving or store in the fridge until serving. Decorate with fresh raspberries and desiccated coconut (or pretty flowers:).
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