After mulling over my blog posts so far, I concluded that I should really start to venture away from chocolate-based treats. Firstly because my chocolate addiction isn’t ideal and secondly I need to begin adding colour to my baking and therefore blog posts. I had some blueberries hanging around in the fridge so I decided that was a good starting point. The rest of this recipe is inspired by the popular ‘raw cheesecake’ recipes that are liked by vegans, but with my own twist… of course.

It’s not that I personally don’t eat cheese but I’m actually not a fan of proper cheesecake. Something about the texture is really off putting, so unless its a Gu Chocolate Millionaire’s cheesecake it’s not for me. These however, have a much more pleasant texture to them, and they don’t contain any cheese which is always a bonus when you’re talking healthy baking.

I’m often find myself making things that are to be kept frozen, but otherwise, my household can’t seem to get through the batches before they go moudly, so frozen recipes aren’t a bad thing in my eyes. With no adaption needed, these little beauties are vegan, gluten free, contain no refined sugar or dairy and the list goes on.

 

BLUEBERRY CHEESE-CUPS

 

Prep time: 30 minutes

Freezing time: 2 hours

Sweet, creamy, and fruity delights that just melt in your mouth. A genius replacement to the much loved by all, cheesecake classic. These are a little more time consuming than my usual posts because of the different layers, but by all means every bite is worth the effort.

Author: Goodness Grace

Recipe: Dessert, Snack

Dietary Info: Raw, Vegan, Dairy-Free, No Refined Sugar, Gluten-Free.

Makes: 9 cupcakes

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

FOR THE BISCUIT BASE

• 1/2 cup dates
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp maple syrup/ agave nectar
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp almond milk.
• dash of milk
• 1 tsp matcha powder

 

FOR THE ‘CHEESE’ LAYER

• 1 cup cashews (soaked: *I find that leaving them to rest in boiling water for a few mins does the same trick as soaking them in cold water for a tedious 4 hours*)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 tbsp maple syrup/ agave nectar
• dash of vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

 

FOR THE BLUEBERRY LAYER

• 1/2 punnet blueberries
• 2 tbsp coconut cream
• 1/2 tsp acai powder
• 2 tsp stevia/ equivelent

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Add the dates into a food processor and pulse until refined.
• Add the remaining ingredients  apart from the milk for the base and blend until well combined. The mixture should bind when pressed, if it’s still crumbly add the milk.

• Divide the mixture into cupcake cases, about 1 teaspoon per case, and press down each one into an even, smooth base. (I didn’t actually use cases as I didn’t have any but I can imagine they’d make it easier to get them out once set).
• Place in the freezer to set.

• Rinse out the food processor and then blend together all ingredients for the cheesecake layer. Pulse for a good few minutes as you want this layer to be really creamy to replicate a soft cheese.

• Once smooth, add the ‘cheese’ mix to the biscuit bases, around a tablespoon per case, then place back in the freezer to set again.

(excuse my old and tatted cupcake tin)

• Add the blueberry layer’s ingredients to a small saucepan, and simmer fora few minutes.
• When soft, mash the blueberry mix into a puree with a potato masher.

• Add the final layer to the cheesecakes and return to the freezer for 2 hours to set.