Mint Choc Chip Nut Free Vegan 'Cheesecake'

Mint choc chip 'cheesecake' (gluten free, nut free, refined sugar free, suitable for vegans and low fodmap, oh and date free too- basically all the frees)

Raw cakes are one of the most incredibly delicious free from desserts of all time. In fact, scrap the free from, they are simply brilliant in their own right. When you have serious allergies, intolerances and health problems that massively impact what you’re able to eat, you don’t want to feel restricted, bored of eating the same things over and over again and like you’re missing out on your favourite things. You want to feel satisfied and not like you’re eating a poor equivalent of something you once loved and you certainly don’t want it to taste worthy. You want something that you can make and share with loved ones without them politely eating said ‘free from’ creation but really thinking ‘what the *bleep* is that?’. Ha. 

Most raw cakes are primarily cashew based and can easily be substituted (although at an additional cost) for macadamia nuts if cashews don’t agree with you.  However I always feel like it’s a shame for people with nut allergies that the options are especially limited.

The secret ingredient to achieve this gorgeous nut free cake is, drum roll please.......TIGER NUTS. Don’t be fooled by the name tiger nuts. They aren’t nuts at all, they are actually a variety of little tubers similar to potatoes or yams. They are sweet to the taste, similar in texture to a mix of nuts with the slightly grainy bite of coconut. Find out more information from the fab tiger nut company.

I’ve worked hard to make sure this recipe holds its own next to my other raw cakes and is equally delicious and kind to your system. You will need a food processor/ high speed blender and a little patience in order to achieve a beautifully smooth texture, but it’s so worth it. 

Better yet, you can make it, slice it and freeze it, so you can have a wee slice whenever you like, for up to 3 months. 

I really hope you love it and do keep your eyes peeled as this is the first in a series of nut free raw cakes that I’ve been busy creating for you. Next up, as voted for by my lovely instagram followers, will be ‘Raspberry ripple’. It’s a good’un.

For low fodmappers (Hi pals) this is a really lovely treat. It does contain coconut milk and cacao butter so if you find that fat triggers your symptoms, serve this in modest portions. It’s lovely and rich so a little goes a long way and still leaves you feeling properly satisfied without your stomach throwing a wobbler. 

Recipe

Mint choc chip nut free vegan cheesecake

(Serves 8-12)

Ingredients for the base:

1 1/2 cup of oats 

1/4 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

3 tablespoons plant based milk (I use rice milk)

3 tablespoons cacao powder

3 tablespoons of maple syrup (or another liquid sweetener of your choice e.g rice malt syrup) 

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Pinch of salt 

Method:

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and mix for a couple of minutes until everything is combined.

Press firmly into a lined, loose bottom or spring form 8 inch cake tin until it is evenly distributed.

Pop into the freezer while you make the filling.

Raw cake ingredients:

2 cups tiger nuts (soaked for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight)

3/4 cup of cacao butter

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

3 tablespoons maple syrup

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

Peppermint extract to taste (I use steenbergs  - it’s the nicest one I’ve found and is alcohol free)

1/4 cup dairy free 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 tiger nuts, then add to a high speed blender or food processor, stopping and scraping down the sides as often as necessary. Be patient with this step, it takes a little longer than if you were blending cashews but it will come together. Add the cacao butter, maple syrup and coconut milk and blend again for a few minutes until it becomes beautifully smooth. Again, you may need to scrape down the sides.

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 teaspoon of peppermint extract, give it a taste then add more to build as much flavour as you like, you can also add more maple syrup if you need any additional sweetness.

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 hour or so, you can leave it as it is, or decorate by drizzling with melted raw chocolate and/or making chocolate shards. Simply melt chocolate, spread a thin layer over a lined baking tray. Pop into the fridge to set then break in to shards.