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No-bake Vegan Cheesecake With Greek Flavors, Coconut Crust And Cinnamon

A PLACE FOR DESSERT: Why a Vegan Cheesecake? Why a dessert at all in a compilation of recipes that aim to be plant-based and life-enhancing? For one, at least in my experience on Ikaria, centenarians don’t avoid eating sweets. They just do so judiciously and make a special occasion out of it. Most traditional Greek sweets contain either sugar, honey, or petimezi (grape molasses), the last two being the world’s oldest natural sweeteners. Many of the desserts in places around the world labelled Blue Zones© contain nuts. In Greece walnuts, pistachios, and almonds are the most common. But cashews have gained ground and they’re an amazing ingredient. Because of their texture and fat content, they add creaminess and round, full mouthfeel to many dishes, and so can often replace traditional dairy ingredients.
PREP TIME 25 minutes
SERVES 8

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 6 small Greek rusks paximadia
  • 4 Tbsp shredded coconut
  • 3 large pitted dates coarsely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil

For the filling:

  • 2 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked overnight then drained
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup petimezi or maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin Greek olive oil
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 pinch Greek sea salt

Instructions

  1. Place the cashews in a bowl and pour enough boiling water over them to cover. Cover the bowl and place overnight in the refrigerator to soak the nuts.

  2. Break up the rusks and place in the bowl of a food processor with the shredded coconut, dates and olive oil. Process to a coarse meal that comes together when pressed. Press into a lined & greased 6-inch (15-cm) springform pan. Set aside.

  3. For the filling: In the bowl of a powerful blender or food processor, combine the soaked cashews, coconut or almond milk, petimezi or maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Process on high speed until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
  4. Pour into a lined and prepared springform pan. Freeze overnight until set.

  5. A few hours before you’re ready to serve, remove the frozen cheesecake from the mold and set onto a plate. Defrost in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Test the center with a toothpick to be sure it’s completely defrosted and serve drizzled with a little honey, maple syrup or petimezi on top.