This black cocoa vegan 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.
1cupbuckwheat groats(Soak in water overnight with dates, and rinse the next day when you are ready to make the recipe.)
1cupwalnutsor your favorite nut or rolled oats
8dates
1teaspooncinnamon
Filling
¾cupcoconut butter(make 1 cup by blending up 2 cups shredded coconut in a high-speed blender)
¾cupcoconut creamRefrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk, and scoop out the solid portion, that is the cream to use in this recipe. You'll get about ½ cup per can.
¼cupblack cocoaUse dutch cocoa if you can't find black; look for Ghiradelli or Valhrona brands
Soak dates in just-boiled water for 1 hour. Strain, rinse and pit the dates.
Make the coconut butter (or use store-bought). TO make it, blend up 2 cups of shredded coconut to make 1 cup coconut butter. Store refrigerated - it makes a wonderful dip or cookie frosting.
Make Crust
In a food processor or a strong blender, process the crust and press it into a parchment-lined loaf pan.
Make the Cheesecake
Blend up the filling mixture. Pour it onto the crust and freeze covered in the freezer for at least 6 hours but overnight is better if you want clean slices.
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.
To serve, drizzle with a frosting.
Storage
I keep it refrigerated 3 days, and then freeze left-overs. The frosting needs to be made fresh each time.
Notes
Coconut Butter - You can buy this in a jar, but it's expensive so it's better to make it in your blender. It's easy to make at home, just blend up a fresh bag of shredded coconut, unsweetened. A cup of shredded coconut blends to about ½ a cup of coconut butter. It makes a wonderful dip or frosting for cookies as well as adds structure to this cheesecake. Here's my detailed recipe on how to make coconut butter, both vanilla and chocolate.