Bite-Sized Raspberry Cheesecake
My plant-based (vegan) baking experiments have begun! Today's recipe is easy vegan and gluten-free raspberry cheesecakes!
I woke up and realized that I hadn't made anything for the family party we were going to, and needed to think of something quick. I was really craving a cheesecake, not really sure why, so I just went with it!
I thought it could be good, and something my cheese-loving family would enjoy...
I played around with a few different bases, and found that mixing nuts works well, not too overpowering or sweet, and just the right amount of crunch to it. You're welcome to stick to one kind of nut, but feel free to mix it up! You can use Almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts, or a mixture of them!
For the filling, I went with coconut milk and cashews. mmmmm.... creamy goodness! If you want to make it chocolate-y you can add a scoop of cocoa powder to the mixture, and you'll have a chocolate cheesecake! And if you're really feeling fancy, you can make it a snickers cheesecake by adding in a spoonful of peanut butter! I might be making these again tonight, as I am regretting my raspberry filling!
For the flavoring, you can use any fruit, caramel, or chocolate... it's really up to you. I have an obsession with raspberries as of late, and loved the red and white contrast, so that was my rational. I used a toothpick to swirl the raspberry mixture in and give it a nice effect!
They are so easy to make, look amazing, and taste so good! And the best part was that everyone loved them! I even took a few to work, and they disappeared in seconds!
Meal: Dessert
Cuisine: Plant-based, Vegan, Gluten-free
Prep time: 10 minutes
Set time: 4-6 hrs
Serves: 12
Ingredients
Crust
- 200 g pitted dates
- 120 g raw walnuts (or hazelnuts)
Filling
- 180 g raw cashews, soaked
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 80 g coconut oil
- 50 mL full-fat coconut milk
- 60 mL agave nectar or maple syrup (if you want it really sweet use 120 mL)
Flavor
- 100g Raspberries (frozen or fresh)
- 2 tsp sugar
Directions
- In a food processor, add the dates and nuts and blend until a loose dough forms. It should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. If it's too dry, add a few more dates or a bit of agave. If it's too wet, add some ground almonds.
- Lightly oil a standard, 12 slot muffin tin. (I like bite-sized desserts, so used a 24 mini muffin tin)
- Scoop in about 1 Tbsp of crust and press it into the tin. To pack it down, use a small glass or the back of a spoon to compact it and really press it down. I found the bottom of a shot glass works well. Set in freezer to firm them up.
- While that is freezing, add all filling ingredients to a blender and whiz them up until they are smooth. If it's not blending together you can add a little more lemon juice or some more of the coconut cream.
- Pull the muffin tin out of the freezer and divide filling evenly among the muffin tins.
- For the flavoring, in a small sauce pan, add the raspberries and sugar and heat over a medium heat until the raspberries break down and create a syrup like mixture. Remove from heat and add a small spoonful to the center of each cheesecake.
- Pop them back in the freezer for 4-6hrs to firm up.
- To serve, remove them from the tin by loosening them with a butter knife. They should pop right out.
They are very decadent, so I usually use mini cupcakes to make bitesized cheese cakes. They are great for any occasion, and enjoyed by omnivores and vegans alike!
I prefer to serve them from frozen; however, you can leave them out for 5 minutes and enjoy them cold. Try not to let them get to room temperature, as they will become quite soft. If that happens, you can just pop them back in the freezer.
They keep for up to 2 weeks, so you'll have a sweet treat to snack on throughout the week!
Hope you enjoy!