Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

October 31, 2012 60 Comments

Are you getting full yet? If you have been traveling through the Vegan Virtual Potluck, I’m sure you’ve seen some AMAZING vegan food but I hope you saved some room for this almost raw Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake. Soy-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free, this rich, cashew-based cheesecake is one that all your friends will enjoy and LOVE. I, for one, will be bringing this to my family’s Thanksgiving, excited that it will feed everyone’s eclectic dietary restrictions. The only problem: with a cake this good I can almost guarantee there will be no leftovers.

(Almost) Raw Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake
gluten & grain-free, soy-free, refined sugar free
makes (1) 8” cake

Crust
2 cups pecans
1/2 cups packed dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
1 1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Coconut Whipped Cream
1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight
2 tbsp agave nectar
1-2 tsp cinnamon

Pecans for decorating

Prepare a 8” (9” works too, end result will just be thinner) springform cake pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper.

In a food processor, blend together the pecans and dates until uniform. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and blend to combine. Spread on prepared cake pan and press evenly into the bottom. Place in refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Thoroughly rinse the soaked cashews. Drain. Blend in a food processor or blender until cashews become a very smooth paste. This may take awhile, depending on the strength of your blender. Scrape down the sides as you process, adding a little bit of water if cashews seem too dry. Once the cashews are smooth and creamy , add the remaining filling ingredients and process until uniform.

Scrape pumpkin filling onto chilled crust and smooth top. Stick in freezer for at least 1 hour.

To make whipped cream topping, open chilled coconut milk and scoop out the solid coconut meat into a small bowl. Whisk in agave nectar and cinnamon until combined and spoon onto the top of frozen pumpkin cheesecake. Spread evenly. Return to freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours, until frozen all the way through.

When ready to serve, top with pecans and allow to thaw for 30 minutes. Slice and serve.

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Filed Under: Eating in Season, Fall, gluten-free desserts, sweets, sweets Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate Peppermint Mousse

June 8, 2012 13 Comments

This is an recipe I wrote for The Sweetest Vegan awhile back. Due to the busyness of this week: a revolving door of house guests (good), preparing for a very special baby shower (very good), an ongoing, ever consuming ant infestation (not good), and  taking lots of moments to enjoy Eden’s first laughs and back-to-stomach flips (great), I have had less time than usual to bring fresh and delicious recipes to you! So I leave you this mousse for the weekend. This mousse is made similarly to a classic chocolate mousse that utilizes whipped eggs and heavy cream to provide the airy and creamy texture, but with only good, healthful  ingredients. So have a good weekend everyone and make sure to enjoy something sweet!
Chocolate Peppermint Mousse
gluten, soy, and refined-sugar free
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup
1 tsp peppermint extract

10 oz chocolate, melted

1 can coconut milk, chilled overnight
2 tsp vanilla extract

Place cashews in a bowl and add 3/4 cups water. Let the cashews soak overnight or at least for 6 hours.
Once ready, blend the cashews with the water and maple syrup in a food processor or mixer until mixture is smooth and thick.

Meanwhile melt the chocolate on a double boiler, stirring occasionally.

Once chocolate is melted scrape into large bowl. Fold in the completely smooth cashew mixture until well combined. Let cool to room temperature.
While chocolate cashew mixture is cooling, open the chilled can of coconut milk and scrape out the fatty solids on the top (about half the can). Place in a bowl with vanilla extract and blend with a hand mixture until the coconut milk is the texture of whipped cream.
Fold in the whipped cream to the now cooled chocolate mixture. 
Place in a airtight contain and let the mousse set up in the fridge several hours. When ready pipe or spoon into glasses and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Enjoy!
Filed Under: gluten-free desserts, sweets Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Chocolate Strawberry Parfaits

April 25, 2012 4 Comments
 Strawberry Banana Parfaits
vegan and soy-free

My family gathers several times a year to celebrate clusters of birthday. This weekend we got together for three birthdays and I made the dessert. Ever since my fantastic birthday dinner at Portobello and their amazing tiramisu with cashew marscapone I had been eager to experiment more with cashews. The result: a creamy, fluffy, and very rich mousse I am extremely excited to share as part of my birthday parfait recipe.

The Components

Chocolate Brownie Cake Chocolate Mousse
Strawberries
Bananas
Coconut Whipped Cream

Chocolate Brownie Cake

This is a delicious blend between a cake and a brownie: rich, moist, and super chocolatey. This is probably the easiest cake recipe I’ve ever seen and takes no more than ten minutes to assemble.

1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a 9” cake pan or 8×8 square dish. Mix together the first five ingredients until well combined. In a measuring cup combine the wet ingredients and pour into the dry. Mix together until smooth, but do not over-mix. Small chunks are okay; the batter should look something like this:

Place in oven and bake about 20 minutes, until knife comes out clean in the center.
Set aside to cool.

Chocolate Mousse

This recipe follows a classic chocolate mousse that is made up of three components: whipped eggs and sugar, melted chocolate, and whipped cream. After some experimenting and reading I came up with this vegan version of the classic mousse.

2 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

12 oz chocolate, melted

2 cans coconut milk, chilled overnight
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract or 2 vanilla beans

Place cashews in a bowl and add 1 cups water.
Let the cashews soak in the water overnight.


Once ready blend the cashews, water, and sugar in a food processor for a looooong time until mixture is smooth and thick.

Meanwhile melt the chocolate on a double boiler, stirring occasionally.

Once chocolate is melted scrape into large bowl. Fold in the completely smooth cashew mixture until well combined. Let cool to room temperature.

While chocolate cashew mixture is cooling, open the two cans of chilled coconut milk and scrape out the fatty solids on the top (about half the can). Place in a bowl with sugar and vanilla extract and blend with a hand mixture until the coconut milk is the texture of whipped cream.

Fold in the whipped cream to the now cooled chocolate mixture. Place in a airtight contain and let set up in the fridge.


Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can coconut milk, chilled overnight
3 TBSP powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend together as done for mousse.

Strawberries and Bananas

Slice 2 bananas and 1/2 pint strawberries.
Place strawberries in bowl and mix with two tablespoons of sugar to bring out the moisture.

To assemble parfaits:
cut one inch chunks from cooled cake and place 3-4 at the bottom of the glass.
Top with several sliced strawberries.
Cover with 3-4 TBSP mousse.
Repeat, this time with bananas.
Pipe or spoon on the whipped cream and top with a strawberry.
Serve chilled.

Filed Under: sweets Tagged With: , , , , , ,

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