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Hazelnut Cheescake

This vegan Hazelnut Cheesecake is creamy, rich, beautiful in colour and texture and a lovely surprise to a Holiday dinner party!

CHRISTMAS is two weeks away so that means I am one busy foodie. I have been knee deep in Christmas content, giveaways and sponsored posts. In other words, your girl is working hard and looking forward to time off. BUT as a fellow foodie just pointed out to me today, being busy is good and I am super grateful. 

What is your favourite holiday nut? Mine, hands down is the hazelnut. I have been roasting them non-stop for two weeks now and it seems I can’t stock enough of them. I love adding them to sweet and savoury dishes and even turning them into flour and nut butter. All the things! It’s a versatile little nut as you will see in this recipe.

I wanted to make NUTELLA which in its store-bought form is a thick sweet hazelnut spread. I actually don’t like it. I prefer making my own where I can control the sweetness. It takes more time but I think the results speak for themselves. Sweet, chocolaty with a hint of salt. SO GOOD.

The recipe for my homemade NUTELLA will be posted below (you can also check out my reel on Instagram ) but please feel free to use a store bought brand. Christmas is hectic and stressful enough without adding an extra step to your day.

This CHEESECAKE is a crowning glory for me. Ever since I started Baking my cheesecakes I haven’t looked back. I just love the texture and I think You will also. I used firm silken tofu for this recipe but have used extra firm regular in the past. I have also combined silken and regular tofu too. All of the results have proven amazing. 

I created an “icing” for this cheesecake and while I absolutely love it, you can skip this step and eat it plain. Nobody would be complaining. 

One thing I am going to recommend before we get started is having a kitchen scale handy. I will admit I was very resistant on using one but once I got used to it, it has become VERY HANDY. Now grab all your tools, slap on some holiday music and let’s get baking!

Hazelnut Cheesecake

Teri-Ann Carty
This vegan Hazelnut Cheesecake is creamy, rich, beautiful in colour and texture and a lovely surprise to a Holiday dinner party!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Desserts & Sweets
Servings 8 slices

Equipment

  • 8” springform pan
  • freezer
  • oven

Ingredients
  

CRUST INGREDIENTS

  • 95 grams graham wafer crumbs
  • 85 grams ginger cookie crumbs
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • ½ cup ground hazelnuts
  • 6 tbsp vegan butter (melted)
  • pinch of salt

FILLING INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup cashews (soaked overnight)
  • 350 grams silken tofu (drained)
  • ½ cup coconut kefir (needs to be thick!)
  • 85 grams chopped chocolate (melted)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • ¼ cup Nutella (homemade is best)
  • 2 tbsp cacao powder
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp salt

NUTELLA "ICING" INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup dates (soaked for 30 minutes)
  • 3 tbsp date water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ cup Nutella
  • 2 tbsp cashew milk
  • pinch of salt
  • roasted hazelnuts for decoration

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350d. Line the bottom of an 8” springform pan. Place crust ingredients into a medium sized bowl and stir so melted butter has coated all the crumbs. Press crust into pan using a flat bottomed surface. A ramekin is very handy. Place springform on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.
  • Drain and rinse cashews. Place all the filling ingredients into a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides as needed. Pour cheesecake filling over the prepared crust. Tap it firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place back on a baking sheet and bake for 50-55 minutes. The middle of the cake should still have a little wiggle and the top of the cake may crack. This is ok! Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, wrap it and place it in the fridge to firm up completely.
  • Reserve date water when draining. Pat the dates dry and place in the bowl of the food processor (complete transparency, I did not clean mine after I made the filling!). Add 1-2 tbsp date water and pulse to get the dates moving. Add in remaining ingredients and process until smooth and creamy. The texture is more icing than glaze but you can decide how you want it; if you want it thicker and more frosting like do not add more liquid.
  • Remove cake from the fridge and Spread icing on top. I decorated my cake with roasted hazelnuts (see tip below). Place back in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy!
  • HAZELNUTS: Roast your hazelnuts in a 350d oven for 15-20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway. Remove from the oven and place on a clean kitchen towel. Cover the nuts completely and rub to remove any excess skin. Do this while the nuts are still warm to make removing the skin easier. The skin can be bitter so try to remove as much as possible.
Keyword baked, cake, cheesecake, dairy free, gluten free, hazelnut, no bake, plant based, raw, vegan

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