16 December

Christmas is the day that holds all time together. - Alexander Smith

Dairy-free Mango Cheesecake Recipe

(gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free, egg-free)

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I have such strong childhood memories of my mom making her strawberry cheesecake as a dessert for her dinner parties. It was a recipe she got from her sister and I can literally taste it in my mouth as I type this! Obviously it was loaded with dairy and sugar so its off the menu for Mila and I. But when you have a craving for cheesecake, or you want a showstopper dessert for a dinner party or Christmas feast, then a raw, vegan cheesecake is what you are looking for! It has the same “wow” factor when you look at it and the same melt-in-your mouth, creamy taste – without the dairy! In fact, its nutrient-dense and could be served as a complete meal on its own 🙂

These cheesecakes are so versatile in terms of flavour – you can choose any of your favourite fruit for the main flavour. My first-ever vegan cheesecake was a blueberry one – for my sister-in-law soon after she had been diagnosed with cancer and was following a sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free diet. That one was followed by an orange and chocolate layered one for our Christmas dessert (made with raw cacao – oh so good!)

Mangoes are in season now in South Africa and Mila and I can’t seem to get enough of them! So this year, we are having a Mango Cheesecake.

And, since this cheesecake is kept in the freezer – you can make it today and have it ready and waiting for Christmas Day!

Mila's Meals Dairy-Free Mango Cheesecake

Key: gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free, egg-free, paleo, vegan, great for adults too

INGREDIENTS

(t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon, C. = cup)

FOR THE BASE:

1 C. raw almonds, soaked for 2 hours
1 C. raw walnuts / pecan nuts, soaked for 2 hours
½ t. Himalayan salt (for soaking)
½ C. dates (±8 dates), pitted and soaked for 2 hours
2 t. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod, or 1 t. vanilla extract
¼ t. Himalayan salt (additional to above)
1 T. coconut oil, melted

FOR THE FILLING:

3 C. raw cashew nuts, soaked for 2 hours
1 C. coconut oil, melted
½ C. coconut milk
½ C. lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
½ C. raw honey
1 T. lemon zest
2 t. vanilla extract
2 C. mango flesh (from very ripe mangoes)
1 ½ t. turmeric powder (optional – for extra yellow colour)

METHOD

You will need 3 medium sized bowls for the soaking.
In the first one, place the cashew nuts – cover with water and set aside.
In the second bowl, place the almonds and the walnuts / pecan nuts. Add ½ t. Himalayan salt, cover with water and leave to soak for 2 hours.
Place the dates in the third bowl, cover with water and leave to soak for 2 hours.
After the 2-hour soaking time, drain and rinse the almonds and walnuts / pecan nuts.
Place them in a food processor and blend until they are well chopped and have a crumble-like texture.
With the motor of the food processor running, add the dates, lemon juice, vanilla, salt and coconut oil.
Blend until finely chopped and well combined – the mixture should pull up into a nut “dough-ball”.
Scoop the mixture into a 22cm springform cake tin. Spread it evenly and then press it down with your fingers (you may need to wet your hands so the mixture does not stick to them).
Place the cake tin in the freezer to set while you make the filling.
Drain the cashew nuts and pour them into a blender.
Add all the remaining filling ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
Remove the base from the freezer and pour the filling on top.
Return the cheesecake to the freezer to set overnight.
Half an hour before serving the cheesecake remove it from the cake tin and allow it too soften slightly. You can now add whatever decorations you have in mind (see below for some ideas).If there are any leftovers, they can be stored in the freezer.

Decorated with dehydrated mango strips and desiccated coconut.

Variations

You can replace the mango with strawberries, cherries, raspberries, peaches or blueberries.

The turmeric in the above recipe is used as food colouring to add to the yellow colour – so if you are using a different fruit as the main flavour, you can omit the turmeric.

If you are making strawberry or raspberry cheesecake, you may want to add 1 ½ teaspoons of beetroot juice as red food colouring.