Choc Caramel Peanut Butter Cheesecake
A very special (and occasional) treat when you want a decadently rich cheesecake, but without the refined sugar.
Ingredients
For the Base
- 4 1/2 cups pecans
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil softened.
For the Caramel Sauce
- 100 g butter
- 1/4 cup rice malt syrup
- 2/3 cups coconut cream
For the Praline
- 2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
- 1 cup peanuts or you can use macadamia nuts (or both!) roughly chopped.
For the Filling
- 3 cups cashew nuts raw and unsalted
- 1 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 3 avocado use small avos
- 1/3 cup raw cacao powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon stevia
- 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter use a sugar-free and salt-free option
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cacao nibs
For the Chocolate Sauce
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons rice malt syrup
- 1 1/2 tablespoon raw cacao powder
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut cream
Instructions
For the Base
- Line the bottom and sides of a 23-cm spring-form tin with baking paper then start by making the crust. Pulse the pecans in a food processor until roughly chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and process until the mixture has a moist, crumbly consistency. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly around the base 5 cm up the sides. Place in fridge or freezer to set.
For the Caramel Sauce
- To make the caramel sauce, melt the butter with the syrup in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium so the mixture keeps bubbling – do not stir or the caramel will split. Cook for a further 4 minutes or until the caramel has turned golden and appears gooey when dripping off the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the coconut cream, stirring gently. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
For the Praline
- To make the praline, preheat the grill to high and line a baking tray with baking paper. Warm the syrup gently, then mix with the nuts and transfer to the prepared tray. Grill for five minutes or until most of the water has evaporated and the syrup has turned golden and crystallised around the nuts. Remove from the grill and cool, the smash the praline into small pieces. Reserve 1/2 cup for the topping, and keep the rest for the ice-cream filling.
For the Filling
- To make the ice-cream filling, pulse the cashews with 1/3 cup of the coconut cream in a food processor until the mixture is smooth and buttery. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside. Again using the food processor, pulse the avocados with the remaining coconut cream, cacao, salt and stevia until smooth. Add to the cashew mixture, then add the cinnamon, peanut butter, cacao nibs and praline. Stir well to combine.
- Spoon about half of the ice-cream mixture over the crust in the spring-form tin and spread right to the edges of the crust. Free for about 5-10 minutes, then drizzle over half the caramel sauce. Freeze for another 5-10 minutes, then add the remaining ice-cream mixture. Freeze for 5-10 minutes, then add the remaining caramel sauce and freeze the assembled cake for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
For the Chocolate Sauce
- To make the chocolate sauce, throw the coconut oil and syrup into a small saucepan and melt together over low heat. Remove from the heat and whisk through the cacao powder and salt until thoroughly combined, with no lumps. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then whisk through coconut cream until smooth. (This sauce will thicken as it cools and can be reheated to make it runnier.) If the mixture makes more sauce than you need, just pour it into moulds and make some chocolates.
To Serve
- To serve, remove the cake from the freezer and the tin and transfer to a serving plate. Arrange the reserved praline around the edge of the plate and drizzle over the chocolate sauce. Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.