Mint choc chip 'cheesecake'

Mint choc chip 'cheesecake' (gluten free, refined sugar free and suitable for vegans).

This is one of my absolute favourite creations, it tastes insanely delicious and is easier than it look.

Ingredients for the base:

1 1/2 cup of oats (I use 1 cup of oat flour and 1/2 a cup of oats to get a lovely biscuit like texture, but just use oats if you don't want to blitz them into flour) 

3 tbps coconut oil 

2 tbsp nut butter (cashew, almond, peanut etc)

2tbsp cacao powder 

3 tbsp of any natural liquid sweetener (I used date syrup) 

Pinch of salt  

Method:

Gently melt the coconut oil, nut butter and sweetener in a pan over a low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, add the cacao and salt, stir until fully combined then add the oats and give it a good mix. 

Alternatively add all of the base ingredients to a food processor and mix until fully combined. 

Press firmly into a lined, loose bottom or spring form cake tin (I used a 9inch tin) until it is evenly distributed.

Pop into the freezer while you make the filling. 

Raw cake ingredients:

1 1/2 cup cashew (soaked for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight)

1/3 cup of cacao butter 

1 can of full fat coconut milk (just the set part, not the liquid)

3-6 tbsp of natural sweetener (preferably light in colour e.g maple syrup or honey for a non vegan option)

1/2 tsp of spirulina powder (this is to add colour but you can leave it out)

Peppermint extract to taste

1/4 cup Chocolate chips (blitzed for a slightly finer texture) 

Method:

Start by melting the cacao butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or melt gently in a microwave. Once melted, set aside to cool a little.

Drain and rinse the cashews, then add to a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until you get beautifully smooth consistency, stopping and scraping down the sides as often as necessary. Add the cacao butter, 3 tbps of the sweetener, and coconut milk and blend again. Taste, then add more sweetener if required (3tbsp is enough for me). 

Next add the spirulina and the peppermint extract. I personally like this cake to be about as minty as a good quality mint choc chip ice cream. Start off with 1/2 of a teaspoon of peppermint, give it a taste then add more to build as much flavour as you like. I usually use about 2tsps. 

Once you're happy with the flavour and the colour, stir through the blitzed chocolate chips then pour over the base and pop into the fridge.

Due to the cacao butter content this cheesecake will set pretty quickly (in about 1 hr or so) you can leave it as it is, or decorate by drizzling with melted raw chocolate and/or making chocolate shards (melt chocolate, spread a thin layer over a lined baking tray. Pop into the fridge to set then break in to shards)