:: raw mango cheesecake ::

Raw cheesecakes are so much fun. For one, they are dead easy to make. You just put the ingredients for each layer in your Thermomix or high-powdered blender and whizz, the pour! There's no gelatine to set, and there's no baking required. Just pop in the freezer.

I've made several in the past, but this was the first recipe I'd found with a very odd ingredient added. A whole, peeled zucchini! Apparently it gives an extra creaminess. 

Last night we made this, and it was deeeelish. I found the mango layer slightly icier than the cream layer (naturally) but all in all it was so yum. Even my brother-in-law raved about it, and he only eats junk food! And usually turns up his nose at anything that looks 'healthy' or doesn't have sugar in it. Needless to say, I didn't tell him about the zucchini, but I will! After he enjoys it a second time ;).

I used a different base to the one on the original recipe, plus tweaked it a bit. Below is exactly what I did.

Raw Mango Cheesecake 

{vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free, egg-free, gluten-free}

Base
1 1/2 cups almonds
1 cup medjool dates (soaked briefly in hot water if kept in the fridge)
1/2 cup shredded/dessicated coconut
1/2 teas vanilla
pinch of salt

Middle
2 cup raw cashews (soaked for 2+ hrs and drained)
1 cup zucchini, peeled and chopped
Juice of one lemon/lime
2 TBS coconut oil
1/3 cup rice malt syrup
1 heaped teaspoon of stevia
2 teas vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Top
1 heaping cup mango, chopped (use ripe mangoes)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Method:

Base
1. In a Thermomix/food processor/high-powered blender, combine all ingredients (drain the dates first) until sticky and a good texture to be able to press into the base of a lined spring-form pan. 

2. Press into pan and pop in freezer while you make the filling.

Middle
1. Blend all ingredients till smooth.
2. Pour slightly more than ½ of the mixture into the cake tin and let it set back in the freezer for another 45 min – 1 hr.

Top
1. Add mangoes and turmeric to the remaining mixture in your blender’s container. Blend till smooth. Don’t worry you won’t taste the turmeric (won’t that be weird!), it’s basically a natural yellow food colouring.
2. Pour the mango layer into the cake tin and let the cake set in the freezer for at least 5 hours, preferrably overnight.

Make sure you take out of the freezer 20-30 mins before you want to serve it so it can soften! xx