As a child, my favourite dessert was always cheesecake. My mother would buy frozen blackcurrant or strawberry flavours from KwikSave. I never even had the patience to let it thaw! and would quite happily eat the rock hard, icy dessert straight from the freezer.
With a garden full of red currants and black currants this year, I've decided to make my own vegan version. This one requires no baking, just a little patience whilst it sets. Unless of course you fancy spooning it into a glass and eating it like a cheesecake sundae - which is also an option.
INGREDIENTS
BASE LAYER
100g coconut oil (melted)
200g rolled oats
50g coconut sugar
CREAM LAYER
2 x tins coconut cream (160ml each like these)
1 x vegan cream cheese spread (200g like this)
50g coconut sugar (more if you like it sweet)
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g cashews (soaked)
75g coconut oil (melted)
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
Juice and rind of 1 lime
BERRY LAYER
300g berries (you can use any sort of berries and frozen work well too)
50g coconut sugar (more if you like it sweet)
METHOD
Warm 100g coconut oil in a saucepan. Pour in the oats and sugar and stir through well until everything is combined. Pour into a springform cake tin and press down firmly to create a base, then pop in the freezer to set
Soak the cashews for 1 hour in boiling water. Drain most of the water and then whizz in the nutribullet until it forms a smooth cream
Add to a mixing bowl along with the coconut cream, cheese spread, sugar, vanilla and melted coconut oil
Use an electric whisk to blend everything until it's smooth, then add the lemon and lime juice and rind and stir with a spoon. Taste as you go. You might like to add some extra sugar for sweetness
Pour the cream mixture onto the cheesecake based and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours - preferably overnight. If you don't have the patience for this, you can also pop it in the freezer
Add the berries to a saucepan along with the sugar, stir over a low heat so that the berries soften and sugar creates a syrupy mixture. Allow to cool
Spoon the berry mixture on top of the cheesecake and place in the freezer to set. I try to leave mine overnight. Once set, remove from the cake tin and store in the freezer until ready to serve. Transfer to the fridge at least 1 hour before serving to soften slightly