Black Cocoa Cheesecake

This black cocoa cheesecake is an easy dramatic dessert, with rich black cocoa, vegan and dairy-free, and high in fiber and mood-boosting magnesium thanks to fresh homemade coconut butter.

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Black Cocoa Cheesecake

This black cocoa cheesecake is made with magical black cocoa. The stuff is velvety black chocolate. So mysterious, with such a dusty deep cocoa flavor. And I will tell you more about this ingredient in a bit, but first I need to stress the ease of this recipe.

Are you looking for easy chocolate treats to make-ahead for holiday parties? THIS IS IT!

The crust is only 3 ingredients, mixed in a bowl with a fork. Press into the pan and freeze, while you mix the filling.

The filling! Only a few more ingredients, blend up fast and pour and freeze. Now you wait..

Okay, there is one step that takes a bit of effort if you want to save some money. That is making homemade coconut butter.

How to Make Homemade Coconut Butter

Coconut butter is a wonderfully creamy ingredient in the "cheesecake" filling. It is basically pureed coconut meat, high in magnesium which supports sleep and mood. And it is high in other nutrients, and fiber. You want coconut butter in your life. Trust me.

You can buy it. Here.

Or you can buy shredded coconut and blend it for 3 minutes and make your own. Buying coconut butter is pretty expensive and sometimes hard to find, though that Amazon price is pretty good compared to buying it in person at, say, Whole Foods.

BUT. It's fun to make coconut butter fresh, and fresh is in liquid form which you need for most recipes including this one. When you buy a jar, you have to sit it in a hot water bath forever waiting for it to liquify.

Other Ingredients In Black Cocoa Cheesecake

Another primary ingredient in this recipe is buckwheat groats. I love this psuedo-grain because it is gluten-free, high in protein and fiber and low GI. It's not that hard to find online. Look for the Anthony's Foods brand. A low GI is important in a food for everyone, not just those with issues with blood sugar. That's because any sugar spike promotes inflammation and inflammation leads to disease. Pretty simple. Low GI is a healthier way to eat. You heard it here.

What Is Black Cocoa?

So how about the star ingredient? Black cocoa. It's beautiful and interesting.

Black cocoa presents a rich chocolate-y flavor that is even further deepened with the addition of a tsp of coffee. And black cocoa is healthy, full of fiber, magnesium and antioxidants, though not quite as healthy as raw cacao powder.

That's because technically black cocoa powder has been "dutched" or washed to reduce acidity to create a smooth mellow flavor, with  earthy, woodsy hues. It still provides the antioxidants that raw cacao does but less. My friends laugh when I say "so we just have to eat a bit more!".

Still, health-wise, I prefer raw cacao or even quality dark chocolate bars generally but it is fun to switch it up sometimes, especially when it comes to chocolate! And if you follow me, you know that I have plenty of chocolate recipes for you to try including these buckwheat bars and this 2-ingredient fudge and this cardamom cake.

But regarding this no bake recipe, the steps are so simple, and then you get a healthy, no bake, vegan, plant-based, wonderful treat waiting for you in the freezer.

Sometimes we forget treats we have in the freezer and accidentally stumble on them months later for a happy surprise.

If you thaw these just right, they reach the consistency of a vegan cheesecake, which technically they are.

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Black Cocoa Cheesecake

Created by Dee Dine

This black cocoa cheesecake is an easy dramatic dessert, with rich black cocoa, vegan and dairy-free, and high in fiber and mood-boosting magnesium thanks to buckwheat and coconut butter.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 10 mins

Cuisine vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free

Servings 4

Ingredients

 

US Customary - Metric

Crust

• ⅔ cup hazelnut meal (or almond meal - find it in the bakery section at your grocery store)
• 4 dates
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Filling

• ⅓ cup buckwheat groats (Soak in water overnight with dates, and rinse the next day when you are ready to make the recipe.)
• ¼ cup walnuts
• 1 tbsp black cocoa
• 2 tbsp coconut butter (make by blending up 2 cups shredded coconut in a high-speed blender)
• 3 dates (or 3 tbsp of maple syrup)
• 1 tsp brewed coffee (optional)

Chocolate Drizzle

• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• ⅓ cup black cocoa
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

Useful Equipment

• 1 4-inch square pan

Instructions

 

Prep

• Double the recipe if you want to use a loaf pan. Otherwise, I used a 4-inch by 4-inch pan.

  To prep, the night before, set soaking the dates and buckwheat. Soak either overnight or at least 4 hours. After soaking, pit the dates and rinse the buckwheat well.

  Line pan with parchment.

  Make your coconut butter (unless you a bought a jar).

  To make one cup of coconut butter, simply, in a high-speed blender, add 2 cups of shredded coconut, unsweetened. Blend about 2-3 minutes or until you have a buttery texture.

Make Crust

• Mix crust ingredients in a small bowl, using a fork. You want a sticky texture. If it seems too dry and crumbly, add a touch of maple syrup if you don't mind increasing the sweetness, or even water.

  Press into the bottom of parchment-lined pan. Pop crust in freezer while you make the chocolate cheesecake layer.

Make the Cheesecake

• Blend the filling ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour on top of your crust and freeze, probably overnight but at least 2 hours. You want it hard enough to be able to cut clean slices.

  We cut ours into 4 (2-inch) mouth-popping bricks.

  Either way, keep them refrigerated until ready to eat.
• To serve, drizzle with a frosting.

Make the Drizzle

• Stir up ingredients in a bowl. Adjust texture by adding more syrup or more cocoa if need be. You want it thick but pourable.
  

Storage

• I keep it refrigerated 3 days, and then freeze left-overs. The frosting needs to be made fresh each time.

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 198mgFiber: 7gSugar: 9gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg

Keyword black cocoa cake, blackout cake, easy healthy cake, holiday dessert, no bake cakes, vegan cheesecake

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