Desserts

These easy, vegan, gluten-free, no-bake, mini cheesecakes combine lemon and blueberry flavours in a silky, tofu-cashew filling for a tangy, light and surprisingly creamy dessert that is sure to wow friends and family alike.

Ingredients

Date Walnut Crust
1 cup (200g) dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup (120g) walnuts (substitute almonds or hazelnuts)
1 tbsp coconut oil (only if needed to bind the ingredients)
Cheesecake Filling
1 ⅓ cups (200g) cashew nuts (soaked overnight or quick-soaked**)
1 cup (200g) silken tofu
¾ cup (180ml) coconut or other milk of choice (full-fat)
4 tbsp (60ml) lemon juice
3 tbsp agave or maple syrup, or honey if not vegan (adjust for desired sweetness)
4 tbsp (60ml) coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
Blueberry Topping
1 cup blueberries or berries of choice, fresh or frozen

Directions

Lightly oil a 12-cup muffin pan. Cut strips of baking parchment paper and lay one across each muffin cup overlapping the edges to make a little tab for easy removal of the cheesecakes once frozen.

Crust

Place the pitted dates in a glass bowl, pour over 150ml of boiling water and leave to soften for 30 minutes. Drain and add to a food processor or blender and process until it forms a ball. Remove.

Next grind the nuts until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Add the dates back in and process until the mixture forms a coarse sticky dough. If the mixture is too dry add the coconut oil.

Scoop about 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture into each muffin cup, and press it down to cover the base. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to firm the crust.
Tip 1: use the back of a couple of hot metal teaspoons to smooth the crust surface –heat the spoons by dipping into a cup of very hot water and shaking off excess water.
Tip 2: Roll any left-over date mix into small energy balls and refrigerate or freeze for a tasty bonus snack

Filling

Strain the cashews and add to a blender with the tofu and coconut milk. Blend well then add all the other filling ingredients. Blend until silky smooth. If too stiff, add a splash more coconut milk, lemon juice or plain water. Taste and adjust for sweetness.

Divide the filling equally among the muffin tins. Fill to just under the top of the muffin cup as the cheesecakes will expand slightly when freezing. Tap the side of the tin a few times to remove any air bubbles.

Add a spoon of berries on top of each cheesecake. If using frozen berries, you can also drizzle a few drops of any juice left after defrosting in a spiral over each cheesecake.

Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until hard about 4 hours. Once set, pop the cheesecakes out of the tin by tugging on the tabs or loosening carefully with a knife blade.

Store them in the freezer in a tight fitting Tupperware box for up to two weeks. Before eating thaw for an hour in the refrigerator or 15 minutes on the kitchen counter or enjoy them frozen.

December 1, 2021

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These easy, vegan, gluten-free, no-bake, mini cheesecakes combine lemon and blueberry flavours in a silky, tofu-cashew filling for a tangy, light and surprisingly creamy dessert that is sure to wow friends and family alike.
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