Vegan Banoffee Cheesecakes
These Banoffee cheesecakes are vegan, refined sugar free and wanting to get onto your table this festive season!
Friends, the festive season is upon us and the shops are gleefully (and prematurely IMO) swapping the Halloween knickknacks for baubles and tinsel. Christmas is a hard time for many vegans and veggies so over the course of the next few weeks I will be developing recipes that even the most staunch meat lovers would be happy to eat.
First up, lets start with one of my favorite courses, dessert. Christmas is a time to get decadent but personally, as the designated cook every year, I loathe spending hours in the kitchen while the less culinary inclined members of the family drink Pimms and snack on mezze. It’s also summer here in Cape Town over December, so you better believe its probably going to be sweltering.
This sweet treat ticks all the Christmas boxes as it’s simple to make ahead (up to 2 weeks!), salty, crunchy, creamy, refined sugar free, and less than 10 ingredients. Let’s get festive!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this gluten-free?
This dish is gluten free! Enjoy!
Can I use other varieties of nuts?
Pecans can be replaced for almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts. Cashews can not be substituted for another variety of nut.
Vegan Banoffee Cheesecakes
- Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Cheesecakes
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Banoffee cheesecakes are vegan, refined sugar free and wanting to get onto your table this festive season!
Ingredients
Cheesecake Base
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates
- 1 1/2 cup raw pecans (plus a few for decor)
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- Sea salt to taste (about 1 tsp)
Date Caramel
- 1 cup dates (NB that these are soft and gooey, if not give them a soak in hot water for 5 minutes)
- Boiling water to thin
Cheesecake filling
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked in boiling water for an hour)
- 1/2 cup date caramel
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (add more to taste if desired)
- 1Tbsp lemon juice
- Sliced banana for decor
Equipment
- 6 unit muffin tray (I like silicone as it’s easier to remove the banoffees)
- food processor
Instructions
- Cover the cashews in boiling water and allow to soak until soft for 1 hour.
- To make the base add 1 cup of dates to the bowl of the food processor and blend into small bits or until it forms a sticky ball.
- Add the walnuts and coconut flakes and pulse the machine until you have a sticky date dough. The ideal dough will hold together when squished between your fingers. If the mix is too dry add another date or two, if too mushy, add some more walnuts.
- Sprinkle in salt to taste and give the mixture a few pulses to mix it in.
- Divide the base into your muffin cups, pressing the base down with a spoon to make it nice and evenly compact.
- Next make your date caramel. Add the gooey or soaked dates to a food processor. Pulse the dates on low until broken into small bits.
- Next stream in hot water while the blender is on until a paste is made. You will need to scrape down the sides and encourage it to blend evenly. Be sure to add your water a bit at a time, just enough to form a paste – too much and it will be too liquidy. The amount will depend on your machine and the size/moistness of the dates. The texture you are going for is similar to tinned caramel (holds its shape on a spoon and is spreadable).
- Once complete, set aside half a cup of caramel for the cheesecake filling.
- Spoon the remaining caramel over the bases and pop the trays in the freezer while you make the cheesecake filling.
- To make the cheesecake filling, drain the cashews and place them in the food processor, along with the vanilla, coconut cream, reserved date caramel and lemon juice. Blend until you have a very smoothe, creamy puree.
- Taste your puree and add in your maple syrup until sweetened to your liking. Add salt to taste and give the mixture a final blend for a minute to ensure it’s super fine and smooth.
- Pour the filling into the muffin tins and freeze until needed.
- Before serving remove the banoffee cheesecakes from the freezer, push them from the mould and allow them to thaw in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to achieve the perfect texture. If your muffin tray is metal, allowing the cheesecakes to defrost will help with getting them out of the tin with a knife. If you really struggle, dip the bottom of the tray in hot water to help the cheesecakes slide out.
- Decorate with sliced banana and a few chopped pecans.
- Prep Time: 1 Hour soaking cashews
- Freezing time: 4 Hours, or overnight
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 504.21kcal
- Sugar: 39.91g
- Sodium: 284.38mg
- Fat: 31.67g
- Saturated Fat: 8.47g
- Unsaturated Fat: 21.29g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55.44g
- Fiber: 6.08g
- Protein: 7.32g
- Cholesterol: 3.55mg
