Vegan Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

Method (brownie base)

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan, and line a 8 inch loose base / springform cake tin with grease proof paper (sides and base).  
2. Sift the cocoa powder and flour together in a medium bowl.
3. Fill a small saucepan 1/4 full with water and place on the hob over medium heat. Add the dairy-free chocolate and butter into a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl over the pan, creating a bain-marie. Allow the chocolate and butter to melt together, stirring with a heat proof spatula. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes while you make prepare the aquafaba.
4. Add the aquafaba and sugar into a medium sized mixing bowl and whip up on high speed for around 5 minutes until thick and glossy. I use a stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment. A electric hand whisk will work great too. Whip on high speed, the aquafaba mixture should be thick enough that when it drips into the bowl, the mixture should ribbon off the mixer.
5. Pour the chocolate and butter mixture over the aquafaba, and carefully fold together with a spatula. Make sure to be very gentle with this step as you want to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
6. Once combined, sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Again, fold this in with a spatula until a rich and thick brownie batter forms.
7. Pour the brownie batter into the lined tin and level off with an off-set spatula in a smooth. even layer.
8. Place the tin into the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. If you want a more fudgey brownie, you may want to underbake by 5 minutes!
9. Once baked, remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool fully on a wire rack. TIP: Keep the brownie in the tin while it’s cooling. This will help it keeps it’s shape and will also lock in some of the moisture, which will help with the chewy texture. 
10. Keep the brownie in the tin as we will be layering the cheesecake on top in the tin. Set aside to cool. TIP: Once the brownie has cooled, you can place it in an air tight / sealed container and leave at room temperature until ready to add on the cheesecake 9i usually leave mine overnight then add on the cheesecake in the morning).

Method (cheesecake filling)

1. The cashew nuts will need to be soaked overnight in water. See notes (at the bottom of the recipe card) for more details.
2. Melt the dark chocolate either in the microwave in 20 second intervals or on the hob using a bain-marie ( a saucepan filled with water with a heat proof bowl on top, add the chocolate into the bowl and melt).
3. Drain the cashew nuts from the water and place them into a food processor/blender along with the dairy-free cream cheese, vanilla, coconut cream, icing sugar, cocoa and the melted dark chocolate. 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. 
4. Pour the mixture on-top of the brownie base. Tap the cheesecake onto the worktop to remove any air bubbles and to level out.
5. Place into the fridge overnight to set.
6. Once it feels set / firm enough, add on the ganache.

Method (ganache)

1. Add the dark chocolate and coconut cream into a saucepan and heat on low, stirring constantly until it melts and is super smooth and glossy.
2. Once melted, allow to cool for a few minutes then pour over the cheesecake and level out until smooth.
3. Melt some dairy-free white chocolate, drizzle in lines over the top of the ganache and use a tooth pick or skewer to drag it through in the opposite direction crating a fun feathered effect (refer to video for example). 
4. Allow the ganache to set in the fridge for a few hours.
5. Once set, remove from the fridge, and push out the cheesecake (as the base is loose bottomed, it should come out easily).
6. Slice, serve and enjoy!