Healthy plant-based and gluten-free Cheesecake

Before going vegan, we loved loved loved a good piece of cheesecake. It used to be THE dessert we’d make, when we were invited to friends. So of course, we tried to veganize this dessert. Also, we really are trying to eat and use less to no sugar. So, we got inspiration online and after trial and error created a recipe based on cashews, mangos and dates – no artifical sugar. At all.

It’s super simple: A no-bake, gluten-free and vegan Cake.

Did you know, that the cheesecake was invented in ancient Greece and based on flour, wheat, honey and cheese. Weird, right? Sounds more like a bread than a cake. For this vegan version we use dates as sweetener, cashew as the cheese replacement and mango as well as passion fruit for the flavor. That’s why we like to say it’s actually a not all to unhealthy dessert. Could be worse, right?

And a huge bonus: Everybody loves this cheesecake! The four layers with slightly different flavors make it an attractive and delicious dessert. Let’s get down to business!

Prep time: 8h to soak the nuts 30min to prepare the cake 2h to freeze Serves: 8-10 people

Ingredients Layer 1: Cake base 100g pitted dates 200g hazelnuts (soak for 8h in advance) 30g cocoa 3 tablespoons water

Layer 2: Mango & passion fruit layer 210g Cashew nuts (soak for at least 4h) 70g pitted dates 1.5 tablespoons coconut oil 270g mango 1 passion fruit ½ cup water

Layer 3: Vanilla layer 210g Cashew nuts (soak for at least 4h) 100g pitted dates ½ cup water 1 teaespoon vanilla extract 1.5 tablespoons coconut oil

Layer 4: Mango puree 2 ripe mango (we were lucky, that my husband was in India and got mangos from there, that’s why they have a strong yellow color)

How to

Okay, so before we start, there’s one tip we’d like to give you: Soak the cashews in two different bowls. It’ll just make everything easer afterwards

Layer 1: Cake Base

1. Chop up the dates as small as small as possible

2. Drain off the water from the hazelnuts

3. Add dates, nuts, water and cocoa powder into a powerful mixer

4. Press the cake base into a round springform (size: 26cm) until you get an even base. Use a form or spoon to press the cake base firmly.

Layer 2: Mango & passion fruit layer

1. Chop up dates and mango into small pieces

2. Drain off the water from the cashews

3. Add dates, cashews, mango, passion fruit, coconut oil and water into the (cleaned) mixer. Mix until you get a smooth texture.

4. Pour this layer onto the cake base

5. Put in freezer, until you add the next layer (so it hardens out a bit and doesn’t get mixed with the next layer)

Layer 3: Vanilla layer

1. Chop up dates

2. Drain off the water from the cashews

3. Add all ingredients and mix until you get a smooth texture

4. Pour vanilla layer on top of mango layer

5. Freeze

Layer 4: Mango puree

1. Puree mango

2. Pour onto vanilla layer

3. Freeze the cake for at least 2 hours.

That’s it! Hope you love it just as much as we do! Just remember to defrost the cake before serving it

If you’re looking for a quick fix dessert, try out our fruity layered whipped cream dessert.