Cardamom + dark chocolate ‘cheesecake’ bars
This ‘cheesecake’ makes a great plan-ahead dessert and will store happily in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Start the recipe the night before to soak the cashews. Makes 12-14 bars
Base
240g (1½ cups) dried pitted dates, roughly chopped 100g (²⁄³ cup) raw
almonds 1 tablespoon virgin
coconut oil, melted
Filling
375g (3 cups) raw cashew nuts, soaked overnight in cold water + drained well 185ml (¾ cup) virgin
coconut oil, melted 125ml (½ cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice
125ml (½ cup) pure
maple syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla
extract
¼ teaspoon fine salt seeds from 20 cardamom pods (or 2 teaspoons ground cardamom)
Chocolate topping 85g dairy-free dark chocolate, roughly chopped
60ml (¼ cup) coconut
milk
2 tablespoons pure maple/brown rice syrup
To make the cheesecake base, line a 28cm x 18cm slice tin with baking paper, overlapping the sides by 2cm. Put the pitted dates, almonds and coconut oil into a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Press the mixture into the tin, using the back of a spoon to pack it in firmly.
To make the filling, place all the filling ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend on high until smooth. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, finely grind the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle first, before adding to the blender. Pour the mixture over the base and smooth the top. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
To make the chocolate topping, place the dark chocolate into a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the coconut milk and the maple/brown rice syrup and heat gently until melted. If it starts to look a little split (this can happen because of the coconut milk), whisk to bring it back together into a smooth sauce. When just melted, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly, before spreading over the cheesecake. Return to the fridge until set. Once set, slice into 12-14 bars, using a sharp knife warmed under running hot water.