Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
Today’s creation was completely inspired by a dear friend of mine, Gina. She shared with me some time ago that she loved chocolate. Say no more my dear friend…your wish is my inspiration!
This cheesecake turned out amazing. The rich flavor of chocolate danced a beautiful duet with a hint of espresso on the back of your palate. The smooth, creamy, texture was luxurious as your lips swept across the fork. It was an explosion of flavor that just melted in your mouth.
For decoration, I used a raw chocolate recipe that hardens once it is chilled. I put the chocolate into a piping bag, and with a free-hand technique, I created the triangles. I then chilled them in the fridge, placing them on parchment paper, and once hardened I peeled them off. What a gorgeous way to dress up a dessert. This was my first attempt, and I am really excited about playing around with this technique in the future.
Gina and I shared lunch at Zinburger. Their food is fresh and amazing, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the service is top-notch! They were so kind as to keep the cheesecake in their fridge while we ate. I got there before Gina and asked them to keep it a secret.
After we were done eating they brought the cheesecake out as a surprise, and they even put a few candles in it all on their own accord. What a special touch! The waitress was so impressed with the cheesecake that she took a piece and shared it with the staff in the back. We got several compliments and rave reviews on it. Thank you, Gina for creating a wonderful memory for me…your birthday celebration.
Ingredients:
yields 8-9″ spring form pan
Chocolate Almond Crust:
- 1 3/4 cup raw almonds, soaked & dehydrated
- 5 Tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1/8 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1/4 cup packed Medjool dates
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cheesecake batter:
Preparation:
Crust:
- Assemble a Springform pan with the bottom facing up, the opposite way from how it comes assembled.
- This will help you when removing the cheesecake from the pan, not having to fight with the lip.
- Wrap the base with plastic wrap. This will make it easier to remove the pie when done… unless you plan on serving the cake on the bottom of the pan.
- In the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, pulse the almonds into small pieces.
- Be careful that you don’t over-process the nuts and head towards making a nut butter. Nothing wrong with that… just not our goal at the moment.
- Add the cacao powder and salt, pulsing it together.
- This ensures that the dry ingredients (spices) get well distributed, so you don’t end up with concentrated pockets of flavors.
- Add the dates and vanilla. Process until the batter sticks together.
- Depending on your machine, you may need to stop the unit and scrape the sides down during this process.
- Test the batter by pinching it between your fingers. If it holds, it is ready.
- Distribute the crust evenly on the bottom of the pan, using even and gentle pressure. If you press too hard, it might really stick badly to the base of the pan, making it hard to remove slices. You can either just make the crust on the bottom of the pan, or you can also bring it up the sides. It is up to you.
- Set aside while you make the cheesecake batter.
- Drain the soaked cashews and discard the soak water. Place in a high-speed blender.
- In a high-powered blender combine the; cashews, cold-pressed coffee, almond milk, sweetener, cacao powder, vanilla, and salt.
- Due to the volume and the creamy texture that we are going after, it is important to use a high-powered blender. It could be too taxing on a lower-end model.
- Blend until the filling is creamy smooth. You shouldn’t detect any grit. If you do, keep blending.
- This process can take 2-4 minutes, depending on the strength of the blender. Keep your hand cupped around the base of the blender carafe to feel for warmth. If the batter is getting too warm. Stop the machine and let it cool. Then proceed once cooled.
- With a vortex going in the blender, drizzle in the cacao butter, and then add the lecithin. Blend just long enough to incorporate everything together. Don’t over-process. The batter will start to thicken.
- What is a vortex? Look into the container from the top and slowly increase the speed from low to high, the batter will form a small vortex (or hole) in the center. High-powered machines have containers that are designed to create a controlled vortex, systematically folding ingredients back to the blades for smoother blends and faster processing… instead of just spinning ingredients around, hoping they find their way to the blades.
- If your machine isn’t powerful enough or built to do this, you may need to stop the unit often to scrape the sides down.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Chill in the freezer for 4-6 hours and then in the fridge for 12 hours.
- Store the cheesecake in the fridge for 3-5 days or up to 3 months in the freezer. Be sure that they are well sealed to avoid fridge odors.
- For decorating you can make chocolate decorations with this hardening chocolate recipe.
I just removed the cheesecake from the freezer. You can see that the top naturally darkened. If you wish, you can proceed with decorating with Chocolate Ganache frosting.
Pour it directly into the center and let it naturally spread. It might need a little help to get it over the edges.
From there you can leave as is or continue to decorate it.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
I am still in total awe about this entire experience. This creation made for me was a work of art. I was totally surprised and speechless – a rarity for me. And the cheesecake was OVER the top delicious. Amie Sue – you are amazing and I feel so blesse to call you my friend. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Oh, this was just fabulous! I made this for a friend’s birthday. I was originally going to try the chocolate cake with ganache frosting but found out she had an allergy to walnuts. I was a bit hesitant because it looks too good to be easy, but really, all I did was follow the recipe. My biggest concern was that it wouldn’t set up and look as good as this one, but it came out perfect! I finished off with some fresh raspberries and drizzled chocolate. My only regret is that I didn’t make two! Thank you for this!
Isn’t this dessert divine?!! A person would never know that it was raw! I am so glad you made this. :) These desserts freeze well too so next time makes several and freeze one! Thanks for letting me know how this went for you. amie sue
I made this cake for a client and I just got an email from her….
“Dessert ever AmieSue!
The dinner gathering was great, the Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake… AMAZING!
Everyone thrilled. Taste and texture amazing, flavors spot on! So glad Eric recommended you for this event!
Thank you thank you thank you,
Your link is going out to everyone this am.
Blessings and prosperity be yours!”
Hi there. I just made the lemon poppy cake and it was deslish!. I wanted to make the Mocha cheesecake and noticed that it takes 1 1/4 cup of expresso. For clarification, do you make expresso coffee already made or instant granules? Thanks so much for your beautiful website and recipes.
Hello Linda,
I am so happy to hear that the lemon poppy cake turned out delis! Regarding the expresso coffee, I made that myself, but not from instant. You can either brew it or make a cold pressed espresso which is suppose to be less acidic to your body. Making cold pressed is a lengthier process. I added directions to the bottom of the post. Thank you for asking that question, so it could be addressed for others. I would love to hear how it goes for you.
Many blessings, amie sue
Wow! What a gorgeous cheesecake! I definitely want to give this a try.
Thank you Stephanie…I would love to hear how it turned out if you do. It is devilishly rich!!
This recipe , and so many more of your other recipes are FANTASTIC! you are amazing at what you do, and I am so thankful I found you!! Please keep doing what you are doing :) I can’t tell you how many people I have made happy with your recipes!! ;-)
Diane Henry
I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipes! Many blessings to you and your family!
just coming across for site and it is TDF! what gorgeous raw creations you make! i have a quick question about the soaked cashews — do you rinse the goop off of them before blending? please let me know! thanks!
Cristina,
Wash that goop off! hehe Always, always rinse nuts and seeds (except chia and flax) after soaking. Have a great evening!
Hi Amie Sue,
I have a question for you. I noticed you mentioned that you used cacao butter instead of coconut butter. Can you share the what the difference you found between the consistency?
Lane
Elaine, these are two different products. Coconut butter is make from the flesh of coconuts. Cacao butter is made from the cacao bean which is chocolate in its purist form. The cacao butter is much more firm. The coconut butter does firm up but not as much. Have a great evening!
I noticed in the preparation you said to add all the ingredients to the blender except for the coconut oil and lecithin.
Did you mean the raw coconut butter? Just want to make sure I get the right thing. It looks fantastic.
Hi Lesley, yes, I meant cacao butter (updated). I fixed the directions. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. :)
Is it coconut butter or cacao butter. I’m confused. Am I missing the coconut butter in the rec ipe? Thanks!
Good evening Glorianne,
I am sorry that I couldn’t get to your questions sooner. I was on the road traveling all day today and just got in.
Where are you reading coconut butter? I indicate: 1 cup (202 g) raw cacao butter in the ingredient list and then mention adding it under the preparation under #3 With a vortex going in the blender, drizzle in the cacao butter, and then add the lecithin….”
Please let me know where the confusion is coming from so I can clear things up. :) Blessings, amie sue
I read your response right above me and got confused…Lesley says:
September 29, 2012 at 3:28 pm
I noticed in the preparation you said to add all the ingredients to the blender except for the coconut oil and lecithin.
Did you mean the raw coconut butter? Just want to make sure I get the right thing. It looks fantastic.
REPLY
amie-sue says:
September 29, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Hi Lesley, yes, I meant coconut butter. I fixed the directions. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. :)
But if this is not correct then I will just follow the recipe with the cacao butter. Do you melt it before adding in? Thanks so much! Working out the kinks and making plans before I get to prepping. I prepped almonds today for your almond ricotta as the raw lasagne is also on the menu. A bit ambitious but I think we can pull it off. THANK YOU!
Oh ok, now I understand. It is weird because when I view my comments in edit mode, it doesn’t bring up 1/2 of the comments so I didn’t see that one. Shew, sorry about that. I used cacao butter… and fixed the comment to Lesley. And yes, melt it before adding it into the recipe. Sorry again for all the confusion. But I hope things are cleared up now. Keep me posted how it goes. Blessings, amie sue
Hi! I’m going to make this cheesecake tonight and I’m wondering about the liquid vanilla. Is there a difference in vanilla extract and liquid vanilla? 1/4 cup seems like a lot and I don’t want to get it wrong. Thanks so much!
Oh Stephanie!! I am sorry that I missed this comment, it got lost in the shuffle. I hope that I am not to late in helping you out.
They are two different things. To make vanilla liquid…
Chop up 3 vanilla beans. Put in a blender with 1 cup of water and blend for a couple of minutes… long enough until the blender craft starts to feel a little warm and the vanilla beans are broke down. Store in a glass container in the fridge. It should keep for several weeks.
Have a great day!!! amie sue
Hi amie-sue. Just discovered your fabulous website. I, also, want to make this cake this coming week. I have raw ground up vanilla beans from Sunfood. It is called vanilla powder. If you were doing this, would you just measure some powder out into the blender, add water and blend the same way you would vanilla beans? Or would you just add some of the powder to the recipe?
By the way, I am so excited to try many of your recipes. just got back on raw~~hopefully to stay this time!!! Looking forward to some of your snack recipes. Thanks much.:)
Good morning Linda…
Pure ground vanilla is much more potent than vanilla extract, and I recommend that you use about half the amount of extract called for in most recipes. From there, you can taste test and see if you need to add more.
I am very excited for you healthy journey. Slowly add in raw foods to allow your body to adjust and at the same time your emotions can adjust as well. That is an important key in eating healthy more successfully. We often forget that there is an emotional aspect to eating. Good luck and many blessings! amie sue
Good Morning Amie-Sue~~thanks so much for the reply. I think one of the things I found most difficult about going raw was so many of the snack recipes I found were for sweet snacks. I also struggled with breakfasts. I am taking it slow this time around re-entering the world of raw and hopefully better health to follow. It is a blessing for us all that you have shared your recipes so we all can enjoy the raw journey we are on. My mouth waters when I see the photo’s of your food~~makes me want to run to the store, come home and get busy in the kitchen….believe me, this is a first~~ha-ha
That is wonderful to hear Linda… in time if you find yourself craving a food that you would like to see “healthified”, let me know. I am always up for challenges. Have a wonderful day! amie sue
Hi Amie,
My son seems to have some dairy allergies and I love to make rich and creamy desserts (and we all love to EAT them). We’ve had a few nice ones from Cafe Gratitude. I’m excited to make something that creamy and rich like those and I think this is it. One question came up, in the recipe, what kind of lecithin do you mean? Most people probably know what you mean, but I have used granules and the thick liquid and I’m not sure which you mean here. Thanks for the recipe (and in advance for your reply)
Hello Gordon,
This cheesecake is rich and creamy so it will be great for your son and everyone else who partakes of it. :) You can use powdered or liquid lecithin, same measurement for either one. I attached links to the ones I use or recommend. I hope this helps. Merry Christmas. amie sue
Hi Amie Sue, I’m just wondering if you used a 9″ round or an 8″ pan? Please advise.
Thank you, Esther
You could use either size Esther. I can’t recall now what I had used for this dessert. Have a great day, amie sue
Can I use a regular household mixer grinder for this recipe? Since it will b small in size m confused
Can you please share with me what machine you are referring to? The make and model. Then I can better answer your question. Thank you, amie sue
Amy, how are you? I’m getting ready to make this for my nieces birthday party. Just a quick note to say, a few of my niece, and my sister are finally getting interested in raw ,vegan cuisine. I’ve been asked to help with this gorgeous recipe. One more thing Amy, I emailed you about a week ago, asking your opinion on jackfriut. I’m embarrassed to say, I can’t find your response. Not really important. Can’t wait to taste this luscious cake!
It’s ok Angela… emails can get lost. I had just mentioned that I didn’t have any experience with jackfruit. It isn’t available where I live. I think I had a canned version once, years ago… but didn’t care for it. But then canned never comes close to fresh. I wish I had it available to me to play around with. :) Sorry that I don’t have much info to leaned one this. Have a wonderful day, amie sue
We just had a family reunion and used canned jackfruit to sub out pork in a Portuguese recipe. It tasted really good! We soaked it in water for a while because they use lime in the can for preserving. I would use it again.I have used fresh when I worked with someone experienced because it oozes latex and can be pretty messy. BUT it was UNBELIEVABLE in pulled jackfruit sandwiches with coleslaw with a cashew mayo we made. TDF. Many possibilities and I bet you can fool a lot of people.
Oh that sounds wonderful! I haven’t tried jack fruit yet. I just saw it for the first time in the local grocery store but I was on my 30 day sugar-free (fruits included) challenge so I had to pass on it. I wonder if it is still there. :) Hmm… now you have my wheels spinning. hehe Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us. Sounds delicious! Blessings, amie sue
Hello Amie-Sue,
I’m sorry to ask for clarification of something you have already updated but unfortunately I am still confused. In the list of filling ingredients you mention 1 cup of cocoa butter and no other oil or butter but then in the instructions you say: … drizzle in the coconut oil, cocoa butter,… and I worry now the cake in my freezer might not firm up properly as I only used the 1 cup of cocoa butter and no coconut oil.
But all other of your recipes I have tried so far have been a success not only because to follow your instructions is so easy and the information you give so complete but also because those who have eaten them loved them. I have to say your website is one of the very few I have come across to be so attentive to detail and who aims for perfection in presentation and provided information as well as the recipes themselves.
Thank you for your answer and the best of luck to you in creating new recipes (especially cakes :-)
Sorry Nada… I thought that I had deleted the “drizzle in the oil” I just used cacao butter in this particular recipe. It is adjusted to read correctly. Your cheesecake will turn just as I intended, you did the right thing. Many blessings and keep me posted on how it turns out for you. Blessings and joy, amie sue
Hello Amie-Sue, thank you for your response. The cake turned out wonderful, I had not used the cocoa butter before but gives it more chocolatey flavour, nicer in my opinion to that of coconut oil. Thank you very much once again and looking forward to your new recipes.
Yes indeed. Raw cacao butter adds a wonderful taste and texture in recipes. It can sometimes be added to non-chocolate desserts in small amounts just to give it that extra body and texture. So happy that you enjoyed and thank you so much for coming back to let me know. It means a lot. Have a blessed day, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue,
My sister and I want to make this for a special birthday. What do you think of subbing pecans in the crust instead of almonds? Those are her faves. Mahalo nui from Hawaii!
Absolutely Glorianne, you could basically use any nut for the crust. I hope you have a wonderful celebration! Happy birthday to the lucky person. :) Blessings, amie sue
Sorry but I have another question. This looks like a small springform pan. What size do you recommend? Also, I only see cacao butter not coconut butter in the recipe as mentioned in earlier comments. Am I correct? Do you melt the cacao butter in a double boiler or I usually do a pyrex bowl of hot water and set it in, before adding it to the vortex? Thanks for answering.
You also refer to date paste in the crust instructions but in the recipe it is 1/4 cup packed dates. I have made date paste before on your recommendations and it is great. Is that what you prefer in this recipe?
I used 1/4 cup of whole dates (pitted)… I fixed the preparation directions. You can use date paste if you already have it made though. Both work well for binding the ingredients together. :) Blessings, amie sue
No problems with the questions Glorianne. I am here to help. :) Let me answer your questions:
Q – This looks like a small springform pan. What size do you recommend?
A – It yields 8-9″ spring form pan. When I took this photo, I had made 2 small cheesecakes. I was teaching a friend on how to make them and I wanted her
to take one home with her… so we split the batter. :)
Q – Also, I only see cacao butter not coconut butter in the recipe as mentioned in earlier comments. Am I correct?
A – I am not sure were you are reading about the coconut butter. I used cacao butter as I mentioned in your first comment. :)
Q – Do you melt the cacao butter in a double boiler or I usually do a pyrex bowl of hot water and set it in, before adding it to the vortex?
A – I don’t use double boilers all that often. I like to melt mine in my Excalibur dehydrator. I provided a link on how I melt mine within the
ingredient list. You can use any method in which you feel most comfortable with. :) And yes, you want it melted first so you can “drizzle the cacao
butter in”
I hope this answers all your questions. Please let me know. Blessings, amie sue
YES YES YES!!! Thank you! I forgot about melting the butter in the dehydrator. GREAT! You will see where I got confused on the coconut butter but I am good to go. Thanks again for taking so much time to hold my hand. I will report back on our success.
You bet Glorianne :) Enjoy!
have made this cheesecake recipe many times before. Adding a little white vinegar brings out the chocolate flavor even more. This time i used a few tablespoons of maple balsamic vinegar with amazing results.
So many wonderful options. Thanks for sharing Lisa. We all learn from one another! blessings, amie sue
also, i put in a lot more cocoa powder.
Does this cheesecake need to be at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to serving or can it be served right from the refrigerator? It is delicious!
Hello Sal,
You can eat straight from being in the fridge. Enjoy~ blessings, amie sue