my take at a raw vegan chocolate “cheese cake”, first made for my sisters baby blessing ceremony
it is a rich and velvety dark chocolate lovers cake made with melted dark chocolate and soaked cashews, it is purposely not too sweet but if you prefer sweeter you can add more maple syrup, monk fruit or liquid stevia to taste, we enjoyed it less sweetened for a more rich dark chocolate feel

the melted chocolate gives this cake a creamy but firm, melt in your mouth texture similar to a chocolate truffle, but not as oily or soft as a typical raw vegan cashew cheesecake which often include coconut oil and coconut milk, once the melted chocolate cools into the filling it helps to stiffen the cake, it is so smooth and velvety, truly divine. i can’t wait for your first bite!

Crust Ingredients

1 + 1/2 cup raw almonds or walnuts
2/3 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/3 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste/powder

Filling Ingredients

2 + 2/3 cups raw cashews
1/4 cup water, more as needed
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (for lower sugar sub some or all of the maple syrup for monk fruit or liquid stevia)
the juice of one fresh lemon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
200 grams very dark chocolate or about 2.5 dark chocolate bars, chopped
you want to use something with a high % of raw cacao or cocoa butter and minimal sugar, even unsweetened chocolate would be great
I used Zazubean 90% chocolate bars, because they are first delicious but also organic, raw and sweetened minimally with coconut sugar
https://www.zazubean.com/coconut-sugar-chocolate

Method

to begin for creamiest results and blending ease you will want to first soak cashews covered in water overnight or you can do it for 4+ hours prior to preparing
next line a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan in between the two pieces of the pan. grease the insides with a little coconut oil for easy removal
for the crust add all dry ingredients to a high speed food processor, pulse until coarsely ground then add in wet ingredients and process again just until it all comes together in a ball.
spread and press this mixture into the lined springform pan, use your fingertips to press and compact it all into the bottom of the pan evenly
next, for your filling start with soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, maple syrup and vanilla into a high speed food processor or vitamix, begin with pulsing and then finish at high speed for several minutes or as long as it takes until it's completely smooth. you will need to scrape the sides down with a spatula a few times, and then blend again. whatever you do make sure it is very, very smooth before adding the dry ingredients and chocolate which you will first need to melt
to melt your chopped chocolate use a double boiler or put the cocoa butter in a bowl over a bowl of boiling water and let it melt. once it's almost all melted, remove and stir it well. then slowly pour melted chocolate into the blender and process on medium until completely smooth again. the filling should be quite thick. you can taste it now, if you want it sweeter or saltier you can now add more maple syrup or alternative sweetener. pour this filling into your prepared crust and smooth the top with a spatula or spoon.
set your cake in the freezer for 4+ hours to set. overnight is just fine. i typically make at least one day ahead and leave it frozen until time to serve. remove your cake from the freezer 30 minutes before serving to thaw. you could leave it to set in your refrigerator as well but i would ensure to give it overnight that way.
feel free to garnish your cake with fresh raspberries, fresh whipped cream, shaved chocolate, toasted coconut etc. or leave simply as is.

Raw Cacao "Cheesecake"