Banana + Salted Caramel Cheesecake (V)

It’s a big day today for sofiabakes… not only is this my first cheesecake recipe, it’s also my first recipe with no baking involved (whaaattt) – oh and did I mention this cheesecake is also VEGAN, DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE aaand has no added sugar?!

The cheesecake consists of the following – a flapjack/date base (my favourite part) which is super squidgy, nutty and sweet, a semi-frozen creamy banana filling, and a caramel-like fudgey topping + lots and lots of fresh fruit!

You may be wondering where did all the sugar, Oreos, chocolate, and peanut butter go that are found in some many of my recipes? Well, as many of you may not know, I study Nutrition & Food Science at University. Nutrition and health is such a big part of my life, so I took the decision to join in with Veganuary! So, for the whole of January (excluding a few cookies here and there) I ate no animal products or meat!

I adapted this recipe from the beautiful and inspiring This Rawesome Vegan life blog – I made a few changes/ substitutions to fulfil my banana obsession and because I ran out of dates!

This recipe is just amazing and you will be AMAZED that its vegan considering how creamy and velvety the filling and the caramel is ❤ ❤ ❤

Ingredients:

Crust:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup dried apricots
pinch of salt
1 cup dates

Filling:
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
2/3 cup dates
pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 – 1 cup soya milk
1 ripe banana

Caramel:
1 cup dates + 1/2 cup dried apricots
1/3 cup soya milk
1/3 cup almond butter
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. melted coconut oil

Method:

Start by lining a 6″springform cake tin – I used foil.
Next, make the crust. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until a thick dough-like structure is achieved.
Press the crust mixture into your lined cake tin firmly, and leave in the fridge to set.
To make the filling, place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend once again until thick and smooth.
Pour on top of your oaty base and place in the freezer for roughly an hour.
To make the caramel topping, pop of your ingredients back into the food processor and blend until you get a golden and super silky caramel like liquid. Add more soya milk to the caramel if it’s too thick to pour 🙂
Drizzle the caramel all over the cheesecake and place back into the freezer until you’re ready to serve.
Take the cheesecake out of the freezer 5 minutes before serving and top with lots of fresh fruit.Enjoy!

Sofia xxx