Black forest cheesecake

Here’s a wonderful recipes for one of our favourite cakes a Black forest cheesecake - full recipe down below ⬇️👍🏼😄💚. Here we combine a nutty base with a vanilla and cherry cheese cake and top it off with a melt in your mouth cherry chocolate mousse to raise the game. This cake is easy, it requires no baking and it’s higher in fibre than its traditional counterpart.

Takes 1 hour to make

Serves 12 slices

INGREDIENTS

Base layer:

150g walnuts

150g cashew nuts

100g pitted dates

2 tbsp coconut oil

Cashew cheese layer

250g cashew nuts raw - boil for 10 mins so super soft or soak overnight

250g vegan cream cheese

100g coconut oil

150g maple syrup 

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Cherry jam & cherry choc mousse

2 x tins of canned cherries in syrup (approx 425g in weight )

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 1 lime

150ml maple syrup

3 tbsp chia seeds

200ml dark chocolate approx 60% cocoa solids

ice

METHOD

• First step boil the kettle. Soak the raw cashew nuts in boiling water ensuring that they are fully covered. Set aside to soften.
• To make base layer -
• In a food processor blend up the nuts first until they reach a bread crumb like texture. Next add the chopped dates, coconut oil and vanilla extract and blend till they start to come together and all is nice and smooth. This should take approx 2-3 mins.
• line a 23cm/ 9 inch springform tin with baking parchment. Pour in the base mixture and compact firmly using the back of a spoon to ensure its level, smooth and well compacted. You want it well compacted so that it holds together when the cake is cut and also so that we get those lovely division of layers.
• Next let's make the cherry jam, Pour the full content of 1 of the canned cherries and syrup in a sauce pan along with the maple syrup, chia seeds, lime zest and lime juice. Bring to the boil and once boiling reduce to a simmer and leave to reduce for 10 mins.
• While the jam is reducing lets make our cheese layer. Drain the cashew nuts and add to a clean food processor along with the rest of the ingredients for the cashew cheese layer. Blend until super smooth. Depending on your food processor this may take 3-5 mins. Scoop out using a spatula and pour in on top of the level base layer. Level and smooth and put in the fridge for 5 mins to set
• Take the cherry Jam off the heat and pour into a wide bowl to cool and become firmer, put in the fridge for 5 mins.
• While they are in the fridge time to make our cherry chocolate mousse. Drain the syrup from the second can of cherries. There should be approx 170ml. Chop 200g of chocolate finley and put in a metal bowl or a glass bowl (the bowl needs to be able to conduct or transfer heat) Put approx 150g of ice and 150 ml of water in a 2nd larger metal bowl. In a sauce pan bring the cherry syrup to the boil. Once boiling remove from the heat and pour onto of the chopped chocolate. Using a whisk, stir until all the chocolate meals and you have what looks like a giant hot chocolate in a bowl! Put the bowl with the melted chocolate on top of the ice bath and stir continuously for 3-5 mins. The chocolate will thicken, leave it on the ice bath until it reaches the texture of stiff cream. Remove from the ice bath and set aside for decoration.
• Remove the cheesecake and cherry jam from the fridge. Pour half the jam into the cheesecake and swirl it through the cheesecake careful not to mix too much that it becomes one texture but enough that the jam is swirled throughout the layer. Leave the remaining jam to use in another dish. Put the chocolate mousse into a piping bag and pipe on the choclate mousse into nice blobs with points - do this till all the mousse has been piped on the cake is covered. Put in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours.
• Cut and enjoy!