No-Bake Chocolate Almond Cheese-Cake

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Raw cheesecake heaven! You will absolutely love this recipe by Brandi Doming of The Vegan 8, especially if you’re a fan of that irresistible combination of chocolate and almond. A raw chocolate almond crust is topped with a thick layer of perfectly sweet, creamy cashew cheesecake filling marbled with Rawmio’s chocolate almond butter spread. A fine example of what can be done with a few wholesome ingredients and a hefty dose of artistic creativity!

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 heaping cups raw whole cashews (10 oz, 280g)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds or 2 heaping tablespoons almond butter
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup raw agave nectar (or maple syrup, coconut nectar, etc. for non-raw)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup water
• 6 oz jar Rawmio Chocolate Almond Butter (a 1/2 cup) mixed with 3 tablespoons water

Chocolate crust

• 3 heaping cups sliced almonds, not whole (9 oz, 262g)
• 3 tablespoons raw cacao
• 4.5 tablespoons raw agave nectar

Instructions

Chocolate crust:

1. Add almonds and cacao to a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.

2. Add the agave and pulse again until mixture clumps together and holds it’s shape when pressed together between your fingers.

3. Take an 8×8 square pan, spray with nonstick spray and line with plastic wrap hanging over the sides for easy removal later. The spray helps the plastic wrap from moving. Press the mixture evenly around with your fingers, not forgetting about the corners. You can add a little cacao powder to your fingers to help it not stick.

Filling:

1. If you do not have a high powered blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec, simply soak the cashews for 5 hours in a bowl covered with room temperature water. Drain, rinse and then proceed with the recipe.

2. Add all filling ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy, a couple of minutes.

3. Pour over the prepared crust.

4. Mix the chocolate almond butter with 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Drop spoonfuls all over the cheesecake and pull with a knife to make swirls. Do not overdo it or you will lose the swirl effect.

5. If desired, add almonds, cocoa nibs, shaved chocolate or chocolate chips on top. Note: cocoa nibs aren’t very sweet, so taste them before placing them as a topping, to make sure you want to use them.

6. Place in the freezer for several hours or overnight until firm. Let sit at room temperature about 10-15 minutes before trying to remove the cheesecake with the plastic wrap. You should be able to pull it out with the plastic wrap after it has sat out a bit. Then slice and serve.

Cover with foil and return to the freezer to keep it firm.