Gotta Matcha?

Ok, admittedly, the chocolate cake i wrote about a few weeks ago was rather rich and decadent. So this week i have come up with a healthier, but no less tasty dessert alternative. A super creamy cheesecake that doesn't need to be baked, is vegan, doesn't need white sugar and is made with one of my favourite vegetables - zucchini!

The zucchini! Yep, you heard me right - one of the main ingredients of this cheesecake is a real vegetable and believe me, your friends won't believe it when you tell them.

Ingredients For The Cheese Layer

- 2 cups of cashew nuts, soaked overnight in water. (approx. 300g.)

- I medium size Zucchini, peeled and cut into small pieces.

- The juice of a bio lemon.

- 1/3 cup agave syrup. (approx. 80ml)

- 1/4 cup maple syrup. (approx. 60ml)

- 2 teaspoons of matcha powder.

- 1/2 teaspoon of bourbon vanilla.

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the base

- 6 Medjool dates.

- 1 cup pecan nuts. (approx. 120g)

- 1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds.

- 2 tablespoons of liquid coconut oil.

- 1 tablespoon maple syrup.

- 1 or 2 pinces of salt.

Crust Preparation

Cover the bottom of a round cake pan (mine has a diameter of 16 cm) with baking paper and grease the rim lightly.

Put all 6 (pitted!) dates into a food processor and chop them into not too small pieces. Add the rest of the ingredients and chop until you get a slightly sticky but still coarse mixture. Be careful not to overdo it with the processor, otherwise the nuts will absorb too much oil and the dough base will be too oily (mine was already very close to the limit!).

Now spread the mixture for the dough base evenly on the bottom of the cake pan. This is best done with a large spoon or, even better, by hand.


You can now place the cake pan filled with the base in the refrigerator until you are ready with the creamy topping. 

 

Preparation for the cream layer.

Peel the zucchini and cut into small pieces.

Squeeze the lemons and collect the juice.


Drain the cashews well, place them in a blender and blend them into very small, fine pieces.

Now, with the exception of the matcha, you can add all the other ingredients to the blender and blend everything into a creamy consistency. Depending on the strength of the Mixer, this can take a few minutes.

Set aside 2-3 tablespoons of the cream (this is so you can make patterns on the top of the cake,) and add the matcha powder to the blender. Mix the cream until it reaches a uniform green, smooth, creamy consistency.

Now take the cake pan with the prepared base out of the refrigerator and fill it with the green cheesecake creme, smoothing the surface nicely (best with a pastry or spatula scraper).


Add a few table spoons of the white cream (that you set aside earlier,) and use a stick to create swirls on top of the cake. I used a chop stick but a skewer or the tip of a knife would also work. Let you creativity run wild. Mine could probably do with a bit of improvement but if you've ever worked as a barrista this will probably be familiar to you.  

Place the cake in the freezer for 4 - 6 hours. After that it is ready to eat.

Eat the cake directly from the freezer or allow it to thaw slightly - put the cake in the fridge for 1 hour.

Be warned. If you leave the cake out at room temperature it will thaw and become runny. Put the cake back in the fridge as soon as possible to avoid «fall-apart». En Guete!