Healthy Dragon Fruit Cheese Cakes
A raw, no-bake vegan dragon fruit cheesecake made with soaked cashews, coconut and maple syrup, in white and pink layers. Recipe by Bonnie Coumbe.
⏱️ Prep: 30 min
Ingredients
| 1/3 cup | 80 ml | rolled oats (base) |
| 2/3 cup | 160 ml | cashew nuts, soaked in water overnight (a mix of almond and brazil nuts can be used as an alternative) |
| 2/3 cup | 160 ml | desiccated coconut |
| 4 tbsp | 60 ml | maple syrup (or honey) |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.3 ml | vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla essence) |
| pinch | sea salt | |
| 3 tbsp | 45 ml | melted coconut oil |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | dragon fruit flesh (white layer) |
| 2 cups | 480 ml | cashew nuts, soaked in water overnight (white layer) |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | coconut milk (or other milk) |
| 1 1/2 tbsp | 23 ml | lemon juice |
| 1 | lemon zest | |
| 50 g | coconut butter (Honest to Goodness brand, butter only, top oil layer removed; can be substituted for almond butter) | |
| 50 g | raw cacao butter, melted | |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.3 ml | vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla essence) |
| 4 tbsp | 60 ml | maple syrup (or honey) |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | raspberries, use strawberries for a substitute (pink top layer) |
| 1/3 cup | 80 ml | coconut cream |
| 1/2 | dragon fruit, quartered then cut into thin slices (garnish) |
Instructions
Method
- Line a loaf tin with grease-proof paper. Allow the edges of the paper to be higher than the tin, this will allow for easy removal. A spring form tin is ideal.
- To make the base: Add the cashew nuts and oats into a food processor and blitz until they resemble a crumb. Add the remaining base ingredients and blitz until combined. Spoon the mix into the prepared tin, using a spatula or your hands, press the mixture down so it's compacted and even. Place in the freezer (20 mins) to set while the filling is being prepared.
- To make the cheese cake filling: Add the soaked cashew nuts and coconut milk into a food processor and blitz until the mixture is very fine and smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz until the mixture is even. Pour in half of the mixture over the top of the chilled base, using a spatula gently even it out and place in the fridge to firm up before adding the top layer (min 1 hr). Place the other half of the mixture aside in the fridge for the top pink layer.
- To make the top pink cheese cake layer: Add the raspberries, coconut cream and the remaining half of the white cheese cake layer back into the food processor and blitz until it is well combined and smooth. Gently pour the pink mixture over the top of the white layer, using a spatula smooth it out. Place back in the fridge to firm up for at least 4 hrs or the freezer to quicken up the process.
- An hour before you're ready to serve, place the cheesecake in the freezer, this will allow it to be easily removed from the tin and cut without being damaged.
- To serve: gently lift the cake out of the tin by holding the edges of the grease-proof paper. Cut the cake into roughly 3 cm wide slices and add thin slices of fresh dragon fruit on top to garnish. Place leftover slices in an airtight container in the fridge.
Serve: 10 serves
Takes: 30 mins plus chilling time
Recipe by Bonnie Coumbe. See her site here & Instagram here.