My entry for PETA The great vegan bake off 2015 & recipe for Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake with raspberry cream ( vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)

Hi Guys

I am so excited to enter the PETA great vegan bake off!

I have created an amazing recipe for a chocolate brownie cheesecake with a delicious raspberry coconut cream topping.  

Not only does this cake taste delicious but it is full of things that will nourish your body and make you feel great.  As well as being vegan, it is also gluten free and refined sugar free.
Not only is vegan baking good for you, it's also great for our environment ( not to mention animals).

The secret ingredient in making the brownie base is Avocado.  Avocado is so good for you, it provides nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fibre, potassium, Vitamin E, B Vitamins and folic acid.

The main ingredient of the raw cheesecake middle layer is cashew nuts.  They are really high in magnesium which is essential for bone strength and nerve/muscle function.  I am always really active and nuts are a good source of energy for me!

The cream that I am using for the top of my cake is coconut cream.  Coconut milk is highly nutritious and rich in fibre, as well as vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6!  It also contains important minerals such as Iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.

So,  ready,steady, BAKE!

For the avocado base you will need

1/4 cup coconut oil
150g dairy free chocolate ( I prefer to use dark as it has no added sugar, if you like 'milk' you may need to amend the amount of coconut sugar that you add so it isn't too sweet)
1/2 cup coconut sugar or your favourite natural sugar
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
1/2 mashed avocado
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 chia or flax seed eggs

I actually doubled this recipe to make more of the brownie mixture and made a separate tray of brownies as a snack for later!

Method

1. line the bottom of a 20 cm ( high sided with removable sides)  cake tin with baking paper.  Grease the sides with a small amount of coconut oil.
2.  Pre heat the oven at 180 C
3.  Melt the coconut oil and the chocolate together on a low heat
4.  Mix up the chia eggs
5.  Mash up the avocado with a fork
6.  Mix together the dry ingredients then add in the avocado, vanilla extract, chia egg and melted chocolate mixture.
7.  Mix them all really well until you have a smooth batter like mixture.
8.  Spoon evenly into the base of the cake tin and bake for around 13 minutes.
9. Once it is baked put it in the fridge to cool before you add the next layer.

For the  lemon 'raw cheesecake' middle layer you will need:

1 very ripe banana - sliced and FROZEN!
200g cashew nuts ( you may want to soak these in water for an hour before using)
2 tsp of vanilla extract
juice and zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
around 60 ml of apple juice or a plant based milk if you prefer
** I don't add any extra sugar to the cheesecake, as the brownie base & coconut cream are both sweetened.  You could add your favourite plant based sugar if you want to**

Tip

*You will need a food processor for this recipe.  If you are using a hand blender or smoothie maker, you will need to soak the cashew nuts for as long as possible before making.  This will make it easier to blend them, and your cheesecake layer will be nice and smooth.

Method

1. Add all ingredients to the food processor, add the apple juice a small amount at a time and "pulse"until you have a smooth and creamy mixture.
2.  Spoon the mixture evenly on to the top of the brownie base and put in the freezer until it is quite solid (about 20 minutes).

For the raspberry coconut cream you will need

2 small trays of  fresh raspberries 

1 -2 tins of coconut milk

Agave nectar or your favourite sweetener

Method

1. Open the tins of coconut milk and scoop of the thickened cream from the top.  If you don't think that this will be enough 'cream' or your milk has mixed together, you can pour the thicker part of the milk in to a mixer and whip until thickened.  You could use an electric hand mixer instead.

2. Add the raspberries (leaving some for decoration) 

3. Add 2 tbsp of agave nectar

4. Mix on high speed until the mixture is thick and creamy and the raspberries are well mixed in.

5.  Spoon the cream on top of the brownie cheesecake and put back in the freezer until set but not completely frozen.

6.  Carefully remove the cake sides by sliding a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it and decorate with the extra raspberries or any other fruit that you like!

I hope that you enjoyed this recipe and wish me lots of luck for the PETA great vegan bake off competition!  If you would like to find out more about the work that PETA does I have put the link below.

http://www.peta.org.uk/

If you make this or any of the other recipes, don't forget to tag me! you can also follow me on instagram @moosfood


love from

Moo x