Jellytip Cheesecake

I can’t even tell you how epic this recipe is. It graces the cover of Supergood, and it totally deserves all the honour and stardom. Now I want to share it for the world! A plant-based nod to the quintessentially kiwi Tip Top ice-cream, it was one of the first ideas that popped into my mind as a dessert for the book, and it’s taken me many, many iterations and trials to get it right. I wanted to deliver the perfect layery blend of creamy vanilla filling, tart raspberry jamminess and rich, decadent chocolate. It’s a veritable feast for both the eyes and the taste buds, and I’ll wager it’ll go down an absolute treat on any special occasion that warrants such a magnificent centrepiece for the table (Christmas anyone?). It’s dairy-free dessertage that will change your life, but you certainly don’t have to be dairy-free to enjoy it.

PREP TIME –1 hour, plus 6 hours soaking time and 7 hours to freeze
To make it gluten-free, use a GF biscuit

RASPBERRY JELLY TOPPING
500g bag frozen raspberries
½ cup caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp raspberry essence (depending on how raspberry-y you want it)
4 tbsp chia seeds (see cornflour, see tips)

BASE
150g plant-based biscuits (I used Nice biscuits)
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt

CREAMY VANILLA FILLING
3 cups raw cashews
1 cup full-fat coconut cream
1¼ cups icing sugar (or less if you like it less sweet)
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ cup coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or use 2 tbsp extract)
1 tsp salt
Zest of 2 lemons

CHOC TOPPING
100g chopped dairy-free chocolate, plus extra for sprinkling
100ml coconut cream
1–2 punnets fresh raspberries (optional

TO MAKE IT

Place the cashews for the filling in a large heatproof bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Leave for 6 hours to soak (or overnight is even better). Drain and rinse.

To make the raspberry jelly topping, put the berries, sugar, lemon juice and essence in a saucepan with a good pinch of salt and simmer over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until reduced a little. Remove from the heat and stir through the chia seeds. Set aside to cool completely.

Line the base and sides of a small (21–23cm) round springform tin with baking paper. How small the tin will dictate how tall the cheesecake is.

Place the base ingredients in a food processor and whizz on high until you have a nice fine crumb (tilting the processor sometimes helps it blend better). Tip it out into the tin and flatten into an even layer.

To make the creamy vanilla filling, place the drained cashews in a blender (or you can use a good food processor, but a blender is best) along with the remaining ingredients, except the lemon zest. Blend on high speed until the mixture is silky smooth. (In a food processor, depending on how powerful it is, this may take quite a while – more than 5 minutes even.) Scrape the sides a couple of times to avoid any lumps, and fold through the lemon zest. Scrape it out into the tin on top of the base, and smooth out.

Freeze for 1–2 hours until it’s firmed up a bit, then spread the raspberry topping over the top. Cover again and return to the freezer for 4–5 hours, or overnight, to finish setting.

To make the choc topping, microwave the chocolate and coconut cream in a Pyrex or ceramic bowl for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Leave to cool slightly, then pour over the frozen cheesecake and smooth out in an even layer. Cover and either freeze or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Defrost the cheesecake fully before serving (in the fridge is best). Top with fresh raspberries, if using. I like to sprinkle over some extra chopped chocolate as well, for added crunch. Keeps for a couple of days in the fridge once defrosted, or you can freeze the cheesecake (unadorned) for up to a month – just make sure it’s tightly sealed so it doesn’t taste like the freezer.

TIPS

I use a really good blender to whizz the creamy filling mixture and it goes silky smooth. See how yours goes – you can use a good food processor if need be just process it for ages. You could use also use a bullet, but you’d have to do it in batches.
If you don’t have chia seeds, you can stir a slurry made from 3 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp water through the cooked raspberry mixture to make it jammy and thick.
If the base seems too crumbly, add 2 dates that have been soaked in warm water for 5 minutes.