Top Deck Cheesecake
25/05/2018 | Tamara Brown

Raw chocoholics - this cake is for YOU !

INGREDIENTS

BASE:

• 2/3 cups walnuts
• 2/3 cups almonds
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 tsp water
• ½ tsp of vanilla extract
• Pinch of celtic sea salt

Layers 1 & 3: Vanilla:

• 3/4 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Layer 2: Chocolate:

• 3/4 cup cashews, soaked
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup cacao
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• Pinch celtic sea salt
  

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the base, place the walnuts, almonds and sea salt into a food processor and process until finely ground.
2. Add the remaining base ingredients and process until the mixture sticks together. It should look quite crumbly but will be firm once you press it together.
3. Press mixture into the base of a 20x20cm spring form cake tin and place in the freezer to harden.
4. Place all of the ingredients for the first vanilla layer into a food processor or high speed blender and blend for several minutes until very smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the food processor several times so that all of the ingredients are well mixed.
5. Take the base out of the freezer and pour in the first vanilla layer. Freeze.
6. Once the first vanilla layer is firm enough (it doesn’t need to be fully set, just solid enough to support the next layer), repeat steps 4 & 5 for the Chocolate Layer and freeze.
7. Once the chocolate layer is firm enough, repeat steps 4 & 5 again for the final vanilla layer. Freeze for at least 4 hours, until set.
8. Decorate cheesecake with raw chocolate, shredded coconut, macadamia nuts and any other raw toppings you desire. To serve, cut into thin slices to serve.
   

RAW TIP:

1. The filling in this recipe has a soft consistency, like traditional cheesecake, but if left unrefrigerated for a long period of time it will start to melt.
   
2. For a harder, ‘ice cream-like’ consistency, use only 1/3 cup of almond milk in each layer instead of 1/2 cup.
   

This recipe is featured in The Raw Food Girl's Sweets & Treats eBook, along with 50 others nutritiously raw snacks.

A word from The Raw Food Girl

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This is one of my most popular cakes for catering orders. Not surprising – who doesn’t love Top Deck chocolate? I do, or I should say I did, but I never eat it now. The massive sugar content and dairy base makes me feel really sick – so I steer clear.
Cadbury’s Top Deck Chocolate clocks at 56.9% sugar, with no nutritional value. No wonder it tastes so decadently addictive! Back in the day I could knock back half a block in one sitting – which equates to 63.8 grams of sugar (almost 16 teaspoons of sugar). Yikes!
But even after all of that, I’d still want more. And more.
According to the American Heart Association, the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are (1).
– Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons).
– Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).
I wonder how much added sugar I used to consume. Way, way more than remotely healthful.

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It’s important to make the distinction between added sugars and sugars that occur naturally in foods like fruits and vegetables.These are Healthy Foods that contain water, fiber and various micro nutrients. These are naturally occurring sugars that most professionals agree are absolutely fine (2).
Added sugars are those that have been added to foods – like white sugar, honey and raw sweeteners like agave and maple syrup. It’s this type of sugar we need to limit.
A serve of raw Top Deck cake contains just over 4 tsp of sugar per serve. I promise you, one slice is absolutely enough. The fat content of the nuts in this dessert are not only going to provide you with vital nutrients (hello magnesium, zinc and iron), but will make you feel full and satisfied so you don’t overeat.
So in this case, you can have your cake and eat it to!


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