With spring and summer approaching I have decided to share with you a very refreshing and delicious dessert. This mint and lime vegan cheesecake is gluten-free and tastes absolutely amazing! Completely guilt-free treat made with some very nutritious ingredients! You will be surprised how simple it is to make, there is no need to pre-soak nuts like most vegan cheesecake recipes and there is no baking involved!
This “cheesecake” doesn’t quite have the taste of a traditional cheesecake because of the lack of cheese of course but it looks great and it’s a very light dessert mainly because of the fresh summer taste of “Mojito”! It contains all the ingredients of the classic cocktail although the rum is very little and totally optional.
The bottom layer is a combination of dates and nuts only. Second layer has just two ingredients as well – bananas and coconut cream (yum)! The “star” of this vegan cheesecake is the Mojito layer – a combination of avocados, mint, lime, lemon and honey! You can also add a tablespoon (or two) of rum but this is optional :)
If you have never used coconut cream before, here is how it looks like. You would expect some sort of liquid product with that name but it’s actually solid and it’s pure coconut with no additives. You can probably substitute it with coconut milk but I prefer the coconut cream as unlike most canned coconut milks it has no additives. All you need to do is mix it with some warm water in the blender and it turns into fluffy cream.
Speaking of delicious treats, here is where you can download a great free e-book that includes 23 mid-morning snack recipes (including my protein energy balls)! The e-book is called “Elevenses in the Office”, created by Furniture@Work and it includes a range of healthy energy boosting treats, breakfasts on the go and smoothies to help you kick-start the day. Download it for free here!
Ingredients
- Bottom layer:
- 2 cups cashews
- 2 cups dates
- White layer:
- 200 g Coconut Cream (one package)
- 3 bananas
- "Mojito" layer:
- 3 avocados
- 1/2 cup fresh mint
- juice 1 1/2 lime
- zest form 1 lime
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp honey / maple syrup
- 1-2 tbsp rum (optional)
Instructions
- Blend the cashews in a blender for a few seconds, add the dates and blend again until you get a sticky mixture.
- In a large ceramic dish (see notes) place a sheet of baking paper and spread the mixture with your hands evenly until it covers the whole dish.
- For the second layer you need to blend the coconut cream for a few minutes until it's schreded. Add 1/3 cup of warm water and blend again. The coconut will turn into cream. Once your cream is ready add the 3 bananas and blend again until you get a smooth white creamy mixture.
- Pour the white mixture over the first layer and spread evenly. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime prepare the Mojito layer: clean your blender and then blend the rest of the ingredients for a few minutes. Depending on how ripe your avocados are this will take between 2 and 5 minutes. The softer the avocados, the better.
- Spread the third green layer on top of the white one and put back in the freezer for another 10 minutes.
- Cut into square pieces and decorate with fresh lime and mint.
Notes
1. The above ingredient are suitable for a dish that is 31cm x 20cm / 12"x 8" large and the recipe makes about 12 pieces. However if this is too much you can reduce all ingredients in half and use dish that is half the size of this one.
2. The "cheesecake" can be stored in the fridge for about 2 days but you should know that after 1 day it doesn't look as nice because the avocados change the colour a bit.