Dairy free gluten free chocolate & vanilla cheesecake
Do you remember that awful 1996 commercial with Fabio advertising that dreadful margarine?
“I cand believe iss snot buddR!” he exclaimed with unintentional hilarity.
I’m not sure how it rates in Australia, but this Unilever brand is the most popular brand of margarine in the United States. Oh. My. God!! Lets not go there, that’s a whole other post!
Apart from Fabio’s bad acting, the thing I do remember about this margarine is that, at the time, it pretty much did taste like butter – back in 1996. (As tasted by my low-fat, conventional wisdom adulterated palate – pre Paleo, of course.) But historically, I was never a margarine eater and didn’t ever buy ICBINB, although the commercial retained its notoriety with me!
This cake reminds me of that ad. It is so good that it almost tastes like its made with cream cheese! Nearly one year to the day, I posted this recipe and I could never really understand how it wasn’t as popular as I imagined because I LOVE this cake! For someone who really misses dairy in their diet, I think this cake is a winner.
It takes a little time but the results are worth it. You need to start preparing it the day before as I think that the resting time improves the texture. You can skip this step if you prefer but the beauty of making the cake a day ahead is that if you are entertaining, dessert is already done in an instant!
I do love cheesecake! I have a recipe archive chockfull of different renditions, but they are all based on dairy. For my favourite dairy cheesecake recipe, look here. I have always preferred a baked cheesecake rather than an unbaked cheesecake. They both have their place but I enjoy a cheesecake that has a bit of substance & bite.
Start with a small slice – its filling!
This recipe makes a small 20cm cake – it is very rich and filling. It works well as a slice too. You start by making your “cream” cheese – I use almonds instead of cashews – they have less starch.
220g blanched almonds (or almond meal) 40g lemon juice 180g warm water 1/2 teas salt 50g almond or macadamia oil 1 teas stevia Mill the almonds on SP 9 for 10 seconds. add the rest of the ingredients and grind on SP 8 for 2 minutes, scraping down if needed. It will smooth & creamy and white. Put into a nutbag or cheesecloth and hang overnight to drain. Usually I only get a couple of teaspoons drain off, it fluctuates. See this post for pictures Base 100g almonds 50g dates 1/2 teas cinnamon 30g coconut butter or butter 1 tab buckwheat 1 teas raw cacao Blitz together on SP 8 until a fine crumble and press into a lined 20cm cake tin. Add a little water if it is too dry. You may not need all of the mix if you prefer a thinner base. Put into the oven and turn on to 165ºC while you make the filling. Cake 80g honey or rice syrup 3 eggs (4 if small) 2 teas stevia (optional) 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped only 1 teas tapioca starch 3 tabs coconut milk or coconut yoghurt 1 batch of almond cheese Mix the eggs and honey, stevia & vanilla on SP 6 for 10 seconds. Add the coconut milk, tapioca and almond cheese and mix on SP 6 for 10 seconds or until smooth. Pour onto the base and bake for 40 – 45 minutes. It will be lightly golden on the top and firmer than a traditional cheesecake on baking. If it is browning too quickly, cover with foil. It may dip a little in the middle but don’t worry. Leave in tin and cool overnight. Topping – Ganache* 50g dates – use the soft medjool ones 1 big pinch salt 150g raw cacao butter, chopped 40g cacao or cocoa 150g coconut cream Mill dates & salt with the cacao butter on speed 9 for 10 seconds. Add the cacao & coconut cream and cook at 50°C on SP 3 for 6 minutes. To ensure it is completely smooth, mix on SP 8 for 10 seconds then pour over cold cheesecake and refrigerate for 30 minutes until set. Serve with whipped coconut cream or berry coulis or both! * You can make a quick version of ganache if you prefer with: 200g dark dairy free chocolate 150g coconut cream