There is nothing more special then serving those you love. Especially with Christmas time we really need to nurture and acknowledge that, i have just had the incredible honour and pleasure to serve my dear dear teachers Sharon Gannon and Jules Febre in Amsterdam, i made a very special cake which i will share here with all of you, this one will look just amazing on the Christmas table. FELIZ NATAL E BOAS FESTAS! See you all here in 2016!
SEMI RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHEESE-CAKE
INGREDIENTS:
Base:
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates (soaked for a few hours before)
Filling:
2 cups cashews (soaked for a few hours before)
1 cup coconut oil (melted)
2 tbsp agave syrup
¾ cup cacao powder
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp melted chocolate
Additional: some vanilla powder, just adds that extra flavour
Top layer:
2 tbsp vegan butter
500 gr pure chocolate
METHOD: Start with the base, just blend the almonds first and then set them aside, you don’t want almond meal, you just want small bits of almonds. Then when that’s done, blend the dates. Then throw both the dates and almonds together in a cake form/baking dish. Spread it all around the form and really press it firmly down, when that is done, put it in the freezer, so it can harden. (ideally you would do this a few hours before starting with the filling, so it’s really hard)
Melt the chocolate.
Next step is the filling, which is really simple, just put all ingredients into a blender and blend well. Really make sure the cashews are fully blended and it has all come to a nice smooth paste. Set aside.
First start making the layer, basically melt the butter in a small pan and then add the melted chocolate you have left over (you have only used a table spoon for the filling, so you should have some left) stir firmly so it’s thick and set aside.
Remove the pan from the freezer and put the filling on top of the base, spread it around evenly and make sure you have no bubbles, to prevent bubbles from happening, you just tap the pan a few times, then when that’s done, slowly poor the melted chocolate over the top, so you have a top layer. Then put the cake pan back into the freezer. To really let it set, take it out of the freezer into the fridge about an hour before serving.
ENJOY!
