Vegan Chocolate Baked Cheesecake

This decadent chocolate baked cheesecake is perfect as an alternative to a traditional birthday cake, especially if your not a cake fan! It is both creamy and gooey in the inside but crunchy on the outside! I made this cake the other day for my mums birthday and it tasted amazing! Give it a go and tag me @eating_clean_with_ava on Instagram! It is Gluten free, Dairy Free, Egg Free and Refined Sugar Free! I topped mine with Coyo Organic vanilla bean coconut yoghurt, berries and Pana Organics salted caramel spread.

Serves: 10-12 slices

Base / Crust Ingredients:

Dry:

~ 1 cup of raw pecans

~ 1/3 cup of unrefined coconut sugar

~ 1 and 1/2 cups of almond meal

~ 2 Tablespoons of cacao powder

~ 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Wet:

~ 1/3 cup of vegan butter, melted

Chocolate Filling Ingredients:

~ 1 and 1/2 cups of raw cashews (soaked overnight in cold water)

~ 1 cup of coconut yoghurt (I used coyo organics vanilla bean coconut yoghurt)

~ 3/4 cup of canned coconut cream (shake the can before opening)

~ 3 Tablespoons of cacao powder

~ 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

~ 3 Tablespoons of tapioca starch

~ 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup (you can use other liquid sweetener if you want to)

~ 1/4 cup of dark vegan refined sugar free chocolate (I use the well naturally brand)

~ 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

~ 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (juice from a freshly squeezed lemon

Base / Crust (Method):

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius, fan forced. Grease and 8 x 8 round springform pan with coconut oil on the bottom and sides.

2. In a large food processor, blitz the pecans, coconut sugar, almond meal, cacao powder and sea salt until just combined. Then, add the melted vegan butter and pulse until just combined and you can press the mixture between your fingers and it sticks.

3. Add the crust mixture to the greased pan and press down and up the sides of the pan, until firm.

4. Place into the oven for 15 minutes or until firm to touch. Once done, take it out of the oven and put it to the side whilst you make the chocolate filling.

Chocolate Filling (Method):

1. Clean your food processor. Then, add all of the chocolate filling ingredients into the food processor. Blitz for 3 - 5 minutes, scraping down the sides after each minute to ensure the mixture is fully combined. It should resemble a gooey thick consistency.

2. Once it is blended, pour the chocolate filling into the pan, on top of the baked crust. Grab the sides of the pan and gently bang the pan on the bench to get rid of any air bubbles.

3. Place into the oven for 40 - 55 minutes, depending on your oven you may only need 40 minutes (Our oven gets really hot so mine cooked in the 40 minutes time period). Make sure you leave it, undisturbed for at least 40 minutes before adding on any more time.

4. Once done, leave the oven slightly ajar and let it cool for 1 hour in the oven. Then take it out of the oven and use a butter knife to slowly scrape around the sides of the pan to remove the sides from the pan. The push the bottom of the pan upwards to lift the cheesecake out.

5. Flip onto a flat surface so the cake is facing downwards. Lift the thin bottom of the pan of the cake slowly. Then, carefully flip onto your serving plate so the cake is facing upwards.

6. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Top with any of your desired vegan chocolate cheesecake toppings!

Store in the fridge for up to 1 week and it also is freezer friendly. I hope you enjoy and tag me @eating_clean_with_ava on Instagram when you make it so I can see your wonderful creations using my recipe!

Link to Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eating_clean_with_ava/