This sweet indulgence is absolutely divine. It’s also raw, vegan and paleo—not exactly guilt-free, but close enough! In my embrace of a plant-based lifestyle, this dessert is testament that raw, vegan and paleo does not have to be crunchy, a salad or boring.
Ingredients
Crust Layer
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked for at least 4 hours
- 1 cup firmly packed chopped pitted dates
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
Orange Chocolate Cheesecake Layer
- 1 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 3/4 cup organic maple syrup
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
- 2 cups raw cashews soaked for at least 4 hours
- 1 avocado
- pinch natural sea salt
Chocolate Ganache Layer
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
- 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch natural sea salt
Servings:
Instructions
Crust Layer
- Grease a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with coconut oil.
- Process all crust ingredients (soaked cashews, dates, cacao powder and orange zest) in a food processor or high powered blender. Ingredients should form into a ball. and process until well combined and the mixture forms a dough. If the dough doesn't hold in a ball you might need to add more dates.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside.
Chocolate Orange Cheesecake Filling
- To make the filling, blend all filling ingredients in high powered blender until rich and creamy (2-3 minutes), stopping to scrape sides periodically.
- Pour the filling into the crust. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and freeze the torte for at least 3 hours.
Chocolate Ganache
- Place all ingredients in a heatproof bowl and melt over a double boiler, whisking constantly.
- Remove the cheesecake from freezer and pour ganache over cake, allowing glaze to drizzle over sides.
- Top cake with orange zest, crushed pistachios and roasted pumpkin seeds.
- Set the glaze by placing cake in the freezer for another 10-minutes.
- To serve, remove cake from freezer and let defrost for 10-minutes.
- Leftovers can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-weeks. When you plan to reserve transfer to refrigerator the morning of.
