Description
Fun, fresh and perfectly spiced no-bake carrot cake cheesecakes, with a fun decorative ‘carrot in dirt’ on top. Perfect for Spring and Easter! No-Egg, No-Dairy and Vegan friendly!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the base
- 40g of dairy-free butter (I use Flora Plant Block)
- 100g of plain biscuits
- 50g of walnuts
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Ingredients for the cheesecake filling
- 125g of cashew nuts (see step 1)
- 100g of grated carrots
- 250g of vegan cream cheese
- 75g of icing / powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste / vanilla extract
- 50g of coconut cream
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
Ingredients for the chocolate cream
- 220ml of dairy-free whipping cream (I use The Coconut Collaborative Double Cream)
- 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- 1/2 pack Oreo cookies
Ingredients for the strawberry ‘carrots’
- Fresh strawberries
- 200g of dairy-free white chocolate
- Orange food gel
Instructions
Method (base)
- Grease a 6 hole loose base / push up cookie cup tin with some dairy-free butter.
- Add the dairy-free butter into a small saucepan, place on the hob and heat over low until fully melted. Remove from the heat and add into a medium sized, heat-proof mixing bowl.
- Add the biscuits, walnuts and cinnamon into a blender / food processor and blend until fine. Pour the biscuit crumbs into the melted butter and stir together using a wooden spoon or spatula. It should resemble wet sand, and when you press it between your fingers, should hold its shape. If it’s too wet, add in some more biscuit crumbs, if too dry, add in some more melted butter.
- Press approximately 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of mixture into each tin, making sure to compact it in using clean hands or spoon. The more compact it is, the less likely it will crumble. It’s best to use a loose base tin, I’ve linked a great one here.
- Place aside whilst you make the filling.
Method (cheesecake filling)
- The cashew nuts will need to be soaked overnight in water. See notes (at the bottom of the recipe card) for more details.
- Wash and grate the carrots.
- Drain the cashew nuts from the water and place them into a food processor/blender along with the grated carrots, dairy-free cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla, coconut cream and ground spices. Whizz up on high speed for around 5 minutes until smooth. Add some more coconut cream if needed. I use a ‘Kitchenaid Powerplus blender’. It’s best to use a high-speed blender if possible as the mixture is quite thick, and you want it as smooth as possible. You might need to stop the mixture a few times and scrape down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated and smooth.
- Equally pour the mixture into each tin. Make sure to tap the cheesecakes onto the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
- Optional: Sprinkle some extra grated carrot on the top of each cheesecake.
- Place into the fridge overnight to set.
- Once set, remove from the fridge, and push out the cheesecake (as the base is loose bottomed). To make it easier, place the tin into the freezer for 15 minutes to help firm up the cheesecakes, then slide a knife around the edges of the cheesecakes to help loosen them from the tin. Making the cheesecakes firmer will help push them out the tin and won’t damage them.
Method (decoration)
- Whip up the whipping cream (either in a stand mixer fitted with balloon whisk attachment, or with an electric hand whisk) along with the cocoa powder until it holds a peak.
- Transfer the cream into a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip nozzle.
- Pipe a swirl of chocolate cream to the top of each cheesecake.
- Add the Oreos into a small blender and blitz until crumb like (blend the entire Oreo cookie, no need to separate the cream). Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the chocolate cream to replicate the ‘dirt’ for the carrot to sit in.
- Line a small baking tray with grease proof paper.
- Fill a small saucepan 1/3 full with water, place on the hob and heat. Place the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl and place the bowl on top of the saucepan (this creates a bain-marie), melt until smooth. Alternatively melt the chocolate for 30 second intervals in the microwave, removing and stirring at each 30 second interval. Make sure to stir, making sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.
- Stir in a small drop of orange food gel.
- Pat the strawberries dry with some kitchen paper so they don’t have any water / moisture on them. Dip each strawberry in the chocolate and allow any excess to drip back into the bowl.
- Place coated strawberries on the lined tray. Chill for 5 minutes, then drizzle more chocolate over the top for a decorative effect. Make sure the chocolate has fully set before lifting the strawberries off the paper.
- Place each strawberry on-top of each cheesecake, in the ‘dirt’ to complete the final festive look.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To store: Keep the cheesecake fresh by storing in an air tight / sealed container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before serving as this gives the butter in the base time to warm up and become less firm.
Best enjoyed within 3-5 days of making.
Soak the cashew nuts in a bowl of water overnight to help soften them ready for blending. Make sure the water is covering the nuts. Be sure to drain all the water before adding into the blender.
Coconut cream: You want to only use the thick white cream out of a can of coconut milk. Chill the cream overnight, drain out the clear liquid and only use the thick white cream.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: cheesecakes
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American