raw cacao & coconut cheesecake (the “bounty” cheesecake)

inspired by the bounty chocolate bar, you get all the good flavours without any of the bad stuff.

if you are a chocolate fan, this ones for you.  the coconut provides just enough relief to chomp down on the next bite, and the next, and the next………

this ones a crowd pleaser, for sure

while its easy to make, you do need to plan in advance in order to soak the cashews.  use a springform tin 17cm x 22cm, or smaller if you want a higher cheesecake!

for the base

1 cup almonds

3/4 cup walnuts

2 tblsp coconut oil, melted

3/4 cup medjool dates, roughly chopped

 

for the coconut layer

1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked overnight in coconut water

200g desiccated coconut, roasted

400ml coconut milk

1/2 cup medjool dates, roughly chopped

1 tsp vanilla paste

 

for the chocolate layer

1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked overnight in water

6 tblsp cacao powder (you could replace 3 of these tblsp with 100% pure cocoa powder if you want it richer – it just won’t technically be “raw” but does it matter?)

1/2 lemon, juice

pinch salt

1/4 cup cacao butter, melted

1/2 cup water

 

garnishes

toasted coconut chips

 

for the base, put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until it comes together.

press into a tin firmly, and place in the freezer.

for the coconut layer, put the toasted desiccated coconut in a kenwood stick blender or in a dry and clean food processor.  pulse until its much finer.

then add all the coconut layer ingredients in the food processor, including the desiccated coconut and blitz until super smooth.  be patient with this, it can take a while.  scrap down the sides to make sure you get everything.

remove the base from the freezer, and add the coconut layer on top.  smooth the top out.  put back into the freezer.

for the chocolate layer, dont worry about cleaning out the food processor.  place all the ingredients in the food processor and then blitz until super smooth.  as per the coconut layer, be patient and keep it in the food processor until perfectly smooth.

remove the tin from the freezer and add the chocolate layer.  cover with glad wrap and return to the freezer.

remove from the freezer 3-4 hours before serving and transfer to the fridge.   serve chilled, or at room temperature – depends on the texture you prefer!

garnish with toasted coconut chips, or whatever else takes your fancy 🙂