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    Mini chocolate and raspberry vegan cheesecakes

    7 November 2015 by Amber |

    328 shares
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    Let this dessert be your reason for a girls night in. Get the cheesecakes and wine chilling and assemble your besties to enjoy these decadent vegan cheesecakes which are also gluten and refined sugar free.

    Mini chocolate and raspberry vegan cheesecakes.

    Oh my word these cheesecakes are amazing! The velvety chocolate topping has the texture of a traditional ganache, set off by a healthy 'bliss ball' base that includes nuts, seeds, dates and cranberries. And let's not forget the secret layer of raspberry chia jam in the middle. Yes, yes, yes!

    I've been working on this one for a while, and I have to say I'm pretty happy with the result. Following the success of my vanilla and lime cheesecake, I wanted to take the base mixture of that topping in a different and more decadent direction. Earlier attempts weren't chocolatey or sweet enough, and attempting to make it 'black forest' with morello cherries just really didn't work.

    My team of hard working taste testers reckoned the base was equally as good as the topping, so I've amped that up a bit by adding dried cranberries and cocoa to the dates, almonds and pumpkin seeds. The topping is based on soaked raw cashews and soft tofu, with the proportions of everything tweaked just so to make it thick enough to easily serve without a walled crust. I really love this topping because it's creamy and has just the right mouthfeel, but is so much lighter than either a traditional cheesecake, or a fully nut based vegan cheesecake. I use soft tofu from the Asian grocer, which is incredibly cheap and just the right texture.

    You'll notice the little baking paper strips I put under the base. Genius idea I thought. Those will help me remove the cheesecakes from the tin later, I thought. Um, no. The baking paper softened and broke as soon as I tried to pull them out. Despite that, the cheesecakes still came out of the tin very easily, with a little help from a bread and butter knife.

    Chocolate and raspberry cheesecake base.
    Chocolate and raspberry cheesecake base with chia jam.
    Chocolate and raspberry cheesecakes, ready to be refrigerated.

    Chocolate and raspberry mini vegan cheesecakes.

    No one sets about making cheesecake in order to improve their health. It's an 'occasionally food', for sure. Nevertheless, there are some perks here which really do make this a big improvement on the empty calories of traditional fat and sugar laden desserts. Each serve has 39 per cent of daily iron RDI, 34 per cent of calcium RDI, 15.9g of protein (in a dessert! wow) and 23.3g of fibre. I set out first of all to make something delicious, so these things are just the icing on the cheesecake. Haha!

    Mini chocolate and raspberry vegan cheesecakes.

    Mini chocolate and raspberry vegan cheesecakes

    A vegan cheesecake with the texture of a traditional ganache, set off by a healthy base that includes nuts, seeds, dates and cranberries. And... a secret layer of raspberry chia jam in the middle.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep time: 15 minutes
    Total time: 15 minutes
    Course: Sweet treats
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 534kcal
    Author: Quite Good Food

    INGREDIENTS

    For the base:

    • ½ cup dates
    • ¼ cup almonds
    • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
    • ¼ cup dried cranberries
    • 2 tablespoon coconut oil melted if solid
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa or cacao if you have it
    • Pinch of salt

    For the chia jam:

    • ⅓ cup raspberries fresh or frozen
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • 1 tablespoon chia seeds

    For the topping:

    • ¼ cup cashews soaked overnight
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • ¼ cup coconut oil melted if solid
    • ½ cup cocoa or cacao if you have it
    • ½ tablespoon natural vanilla extract
    • 250 g soft tofu

    INSTRUCTIONS

    For the base:

    • Put all base ingredients in to a food processor and pulse until you have a small crumb.
    • Use your hands and the back of a spoon to press the crust mixture evenly into a six hole muffin pan, or individual molds if you have them.
    • Put in the fridge or freezer for a few hours to firm up (I did mine the day before and left it overnight, which is fine too).

    For the chia jam:

    • Thaw the raspberries and mash with a fork.
    • Mix all jam ingredients together and set aside for at least half an hour to thicken up. Add a tiny bit of water to loosen it if the mixture is too thick.

    For the topping and assembly:

    • Put all topping ingredients except the coconut oil into a blender or food processor.
    • Blend until smooth.
    • Pour in the coconut oil, while the blender is running. You'll now have a very thick and creamy topping mixture.
    • Remove the base from the freezer. Spoon some chia jam into the middle of each base, keeping it well away from the edges.
    • Carefully spoon cheesecake topping over the chia jam and bases to fill each muffin pan hole, and smooth the tops with a spatula. Work quickly as the chilled base will start to set the filling mixture quite quickly.
    • Pop the cheesecake in the fridge overnight (ideally) or for at least 4-5 hours to set.
    • Serve straight from (or recently from) the fridge. Both the crust and filling will soften at room temperature.

    RECIPE NOTES

    Prep time does not include soaking time for the cashews, or chilling time for the base or assembled cheesecakes.
    This recipe freezes pretty well. It's better from the fridge (and will happily keep for 2-3 days in the fridge) so I wouldn't recommend freezing it ahead of time for a special occasion, but go ahead and any freeze leftovers. The moisture content of the tofu means the cheesecake freezes solid, so allow an hour or two for it to thaw at warm room temperature.

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 49.9g | Protein: 15.9g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 13.6g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Fiber: 23.3g | Sugar: 20.5g | Calcium: 340mg | Iron: 7mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @quitegoodfood or tag #quitegoodfood!

    Nutrition Facts
    Mini chocolate and raspberry vegan cheesecakes
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 534 Calories from Fat 297
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 33g51%
    Saturated Fat 13.6g85%
    Cholesterol 0mg0%
    Carbohydrates 49.9g17%
    Fiber 23.3g97%
    Sugar 20.5g23%
    Protein 15.9g32%
    Calcium 340mg34%
    Iron 7mg39%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Chocolate and raspberry mini cheesecakes.

    Chocolate and raspberry mini vegan cheesecakes.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. mollydashworth

      November 10, 2015 at 2:51 am

      Yum! I love making desserts like this!
      -Molly
      apolloandluna.com

    2. MyCookingSecrets.com | Krystallia Giamouridou

      December 11, 2015 at 10:20 am

      The topping looks soooo moist and the rasberry chia jam brings out this red color which makes your cheesecake indulging.

    3. Lynn | The Road to Honey

      December 11, 2015 at 11:43 am

      Oh my gee! These bite sized cheesecakes are to die for. I absolutely adore that nutty, seedy crust and what a pleasant surprise to discover the raspberry chia seed jam nestled within the two layers.

    4. AiPing | Curious Nut

      December 11, 2015 at 2:43 pm

      Did you say chocolate??? And mini.... I love mini things. It tricks your brain into thinking you're not eating that much, but in actual fact, we're just popping these things in the mouth like there's no tomorrow. Love the baking paper strips idea. Genius indeed. Easy and less waste too.

    5. Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction

      December 11, 2015 at 11:39 pm

      These mini chocolate cheesecakes look so cute and scrumptious! Mini means I can eat two, right? 😉

      • Amber

        December 12, 2015 at 7:20 am

        Haha, yes of course!

    6. familyfriendsfoodblog

      December 12, 2015 at 9:54 am

      Those look really delicious! I could eat the base on its own! Yum!

      • Amber

        December 13, 2015 at 7:35 am

        Yes the base is great all by itself!

    7. nutrizonia

      December 13, 2015 at 12:26 am

      lovely! Who can believe this vegan! Pinned!

    8. Carolyn

      December 13, 2015 at 4:45 am

      Those look so cute, but more importantly really delicious.

    9. AvocadoPesto

      December 18, 2015 at 7:18 am

      These sound delicious. Love that they are vegan and even if they are an occasional sweet treat sounds like they are still packed full of protein and other good nutrients! Hah so funny that the paper strips you had specifically planned to help you remove the cheesecakes ripped -- same thing has happened to me so I can definitely relate!!

      • Amber

        December 18, 2015 at 2:27 pm

        Ah I'm glad it's not just me these things happen to!!

    10. Sara | LifesLittleSweets.com

      December 18, 2015 at 8:57 pm

      These look SO good, I am pinning this one to try later, thank you for sharing this recipe!

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