Raw Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Slices | Beautifully Real Food

“Sam’s work in the vegan community (and beyond) is groundbreaking. Her images, her recipes, her style is fresh, innovative and eye-catching. I’m in love.” – Dana, The Minimalist Baker

Recently, I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy of the latest recipe book , Beautifully Real Food (Release Date: 3rd April 2017) from Sam Murphy who is a vegan chef living here in Melbourne. I don’t know about you, but the first thing I do when I get a new recipe book is to flick through it and pick a few things to make. My recipe book now has about ten green tags hanging out of it marking the things I want to make first.

I love chocolate and mint and there was one particular recipe that incorporated both of these items… Raw Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Slices.

With over 100 recipes, Beautifully Real Food will take you through the day from breakfast to dinner, bringing together Sam’s healthy versions of everyone’s most indulgent meals, from spaghetti carbonara, Tex-Mex cheese toasties, loaded vegan dogs, seven different and delicious burgers, salted caramel brownies, pumpkin pie, cheesecake and much more, using only vegan ingredients that allow you to enjoy a healthy, nutritious, balanced diet while eating the food you really want.

I followed the recipe, taken from Beautifully Real Food, and here is how it went!

Recipe – Taken from Beautifully Real Food

Layer 1

130g raw almonds (I cheated and used almond meal as my food processor is not amazing)
75g coconut flakes
3tablespoons cacao powder
240g large pitted Medjool dates
1tablespoon maple syrup

Lightly pulse the almonds, coconut and cacao in a food processor until a fine meal forms. Add the dates and maple syrup and continue to blend until it begins to stick together like a dough. If it is too dry, add a little water.
Press evenly into a lined 10x20com loaf tin. I put it in the fridge until I had finished preparing the second layer.

*Tip: I lined a tin loaf with greaseproof paper. I would suggest doing this very carefully as layer two and three are added in a liquid form so the greaseproof paper needs to be well placed

Layer 2

120g raw cashews, soaked for 3-6hrs I wasn’t sure what to soak the cashews in so I didn’t do that step
2 drops good-quality food-grade peppermint oil*
125ml almond milk
125ml rice malt syrup
1teaspoon matcha powder*
1teaspoon vanilla powder*
80ml melted coconut oil

Blend everything together apart from the coconut oil at high speed until smooth.
The recipe suggests 2 drops of peppermint oil.
Add the coconut oil and blend for 60 seconds. Pour over the base and freeze for around 2-3hrs until the mint layer is firm to touch.

*Tip: The amount of peppermint oil is totally changeable depending on the quality of oil used and how minty you want the slice to be. Start off with 2drops and add 1drop at a time if you feel you need more mint

Layer 3

240g raw cashews
175g maple syrup
125ml water, plus more if needed
35g cacao powder
1teaspoon vanilla powder
80ml melted coconut

Blend everything together apart from the coconut oil at high speed until smooth.
Add the coconut oil and blend for 60 seconds. Pour over the mint layer and freeze for 4-5hrs or ideally overnight.

To Decorate

80ml melted coconut oil
2tablespoons cacao powder
1tablespoon maple syrup
Pinch of salt

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl and drizzle over the slice

*Tip: For purposes of presentation and ease of cutting, I would portion out the slice first and then add the drizzle as it solidifies and makes the slice a little hard to cut.

Storage:

Keep stored in the freezer.
Defrost for about ten minutes before consuming.

The Verdict:

The ingredients were relatively easy to find, I found everything in Coles except the matcha but luckily had some at home. I also couldn’t find vanilla powder so I used vanilla bean extract which worked really well for me.
The slice is made in three steps, each one took about 10-15mins to weigh out the ingredients and pulse in the food processor. The book suggests using a good food processor, I would have to agree!
The recipe instructions are simple and easy to follow and the images are amazing!
Mr. B has a very sweet tooth and expected it to have a rich chocolate taste on his first bite. It took two to three bites to make him smile as he realised this was a healthier version of the slice… meaning he could allow himself to eat more and feel a little less guilty.
I felt the tin I used was too small as the pieces would have been easier to eat if they were shorter… Next time!
My slice tasted quite nutty so I didn’t add the nuts along the top of the slice and opted for the chocolate drizzle and a light dusting of coconut.

Overall, it was heavenly and I am going to have to stop myself from making this more regularly than it is intended!

Beautifully

REAL FOOD

Release Date: 3 April 2017 | Hardback

Cost: $35.00

*Recipe book was gifted | Imagery by Lifestyle by Lily