Chocolate Walnut & Orange Vanilla Cream Layer Cheesecake

This is one of those show-stopping desserts
which are fabulous as a finale to a simple meal:
the kind to create "oohs" and "aahs" when
brought to the table.

It's spectacular to look at,
with its 3 layers of colour and texture,
but the fabulousness doesn't stop there,
because this raw vegan cheesecake is as delicious as it is theatrical.

The walnut & buckini base has a wonderful crunchy texture,
which is topped with a filling of jaffa flavours
(that classic combination of chocolate + orange),
in a deeply, darkly delicious earthy layer.

On top of that sits a refreshing citrus coconut yoghurt layer,
all silky smooth and tangy on top of the rich chocolate layer.

Drizzled with orange-scented dark chocolate
as the final layer,
it can then be scattered with whatever fresh fruit you have on hand.
Raspberries are in plentiful supply around here at the moment,
in the last of the warm weather in these early Autumn days,
but any colourful fruit in season would work just as well. 

If you haven't tried buckini yet,
you're in for a delightful surprise, 
because these little triangular seeds are incredibly versatile
in both savoury & sweet cooking.

Buckini are activated buckwheat grouts
(the seeds from the buckwheat plant), 
which are then dehydrated to crunchy deliciousness.
We keep finding more and more ways to use them,
from a sprinkling on top of smoothies and ice cream,
to a crunchy addition to biscuits & cakes.

In this tart, buckini adds crunch and texture
to the base without being too rich -
so it's a perfect foil to the creamy middle layers.

If you can’t find buckini, you can substitute the same
amount of roughly ground almonds.

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Chocolate, Walnut &
Orange Vanilla Cream Layer Cheesecake

Dairy free // Vegan // gluten free

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CRUMB BASE INGREDIENTS

1 cup walnuts

2 cups buckinis (activated & dehydrated buckwheat groats)*

⅓ cup cacao powder

8 dates, pitted

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons maple syrup

TO DECORATE

50 gm vegan dark chocolate

½ teaspoon coconut oil, melted

few drops organic orange essence

CHOCOLATE LAYER INGREDIENTS

2 cups raw cashews

½ cups walnuts

⅓ cups cacao powder

¼ cup raw carob powder

6 dates, pitted

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons coconut cream

1 teaspoon vanilla essence or 1/2 ground vanilla beans

½ teaspoon organic orange essence

½ cup coconut oil, melted

VANILLA CREAM LAYER INGREDIENTS

½ cup raw cashews

1 cup coconut yoghurt

⅓ cup coconut cream

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla essence or ½ teaspoon ground vanilla beans

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METHOD

1. Soak both quantities of cashews in separate bowls of water for minimum of 6 hours. (Or soak in boiling water for 1 hour.) Drain and rinse.

2. BASE: Process all ingredients in food processor until it just sticks together - but leave lots of yummy chunks for crunch. Press base mix into a 27 cm springform cake tin and smooth out with your fingers. Place tin in freezer while you make the chocolate filling.

3. CHOCOLATE FILLING: Place walnuts, carob and cacao powder in high speed blender and process until finely ground. Add all other ingredients except coconut oil. Blend at highest speed setting until very smooth. Add coconut oil and blend again for 1 minute.

4. Spoon chocolate filling onto base and smooth top with a spatula. Freeze to set while you make the vanilla filling.

5. VANILLA FILLING: Rinse out blender, place all vanilla filling ingredients in it and process until very smooth. Carefully pour filling over the (partially set) chocolate layer. Return to freezer for a couple of hours until set.

6. TO DECORATE: melt dark chocolate in a microwavable bowl for 1-2 minutes on low. (Or melt in a double saucepan if preferred.) Stir in coconut oil and orange essence. Set aside to cool slightly. Remove tart from freezer. Run a knife around edge of tin to loosen, and remove sides. Dip the blade of a knife in the melted chocolate and drip it across the tart in lengthwise movements to form stripes. (It will set immediately.)

7. Either eat straight away - decorated with fresh berries - or return to the freezer if you are not ready to serve yet. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes to soften if it is fully frozen.

• If you can’t find buckini, or don’t like them, substitute 2 cups roughly ground almonds instead.