To celebrate Hotel Chocolat's new vegan Easter range, I wanted to make a cheesecake with flavours that compliment the praline egglets, hazelnut truffles and of course the beautiful quinoa puff easter egg & adorable dark chocolate rabbit.
I think this cheesecake showcases some of the vegan chocolates in an artistic and creative way, whilst maintaining the decadence of Hotel Chocolat.
I love to make raw cheesecakes and this gave me the ideal opportunity to make something extravagant and extra special for Easter. 🐣
With a chocolate praline base, hazelnut cheesecake layer topped off with a caramel layer...divine!
Even though it is three layers, it is easy to make and tastes incredible.
Preparation- Overnight
Freezing time- Around 8 hours (or overnight)
Serves- 12-15
Level- Medium
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Ingredients for the base
-210g of hazelnuts
-100g of pitted & de-stoned dates
-175g dairy-free dark chocolate (melted)
-1 & 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil (melted)
-1 tablespoon of cacao powder
Ingredients for the praline layer
-585g of cashew nuts (soaked overnight)
-90g of hazelnut butter
-140g coconut oil (melted)
-230g of maple syrup
-45g of cacao powder
-80g of water
Ingredients for the caramel layer
-285g of cashew nuts (soaked overnight)
-45g of coconut oil (melted)
-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
-90g of maple syrup
-2 heaped tablespoons of caramel date sauce (Recipe here)
Decorations
-Whole hazelnuts
-Edible gold leaf & glitter
-Hotel Chocolat easter range
TIP- The Cashew Nuts need to be soaked overnight in water. Just make sure the water is covering the Nuts!
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To make the base
Step 1- Line a cake tin with grease proof paper.
I prefer to use a push-up cake tin.
Step 2- In a food processor/blender, add in the hazelnuts, de-stoned/pitted dates, melted chocolate, melted coconut oil and cacao powder.
Whizz up on high until like breadcrumbs.
Step 3- Firmly press the mixture into your lined cake tin and place into the freezer.
I sprinkled over some chopped hazelnuts for extra texture (optional)
To make the praline layer
Step 1- Drain the water from the soaked cashew nuts, and place them into a food processor/blender, along with the hazelnut butter, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cacao powder and water.
Whizz up on high for around 5-8 minutes until smooth.
Step 2- Pour the creamy praline layer onto the base, level then pop back into the freezer to set.
This will take around 2-4 hours. You can leave it overnight.
To make the caramel layer
Step 1- Drain the water from the cashew nuts and place the nuts into the food processor along with the melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, maple syrup and caramel sauce.
Whizz up until combined.
This will take around 5-8 minutes on high.
Step 2- Pour the caramel layer onto the chocolate layer and even out with a spoon and pop back into the freezer to set fully.
This will take around 2-4 hours.
To serve, defrost the cheesecake for around 2-4 hours or until fully defrosted!
Slice and enjoy!
Keep in the fridge and use within a few days.