Recipe characteristics
Notes on ingredients
How to make it
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Recipe characteristics

Chocolate Maqui No-Bake Cheesecake combines a nutty crust with rich and creamy dark chocolate layer and tangy and sweet maqui berry layer.
No oven required
Rich and creamy texture
Perfect to serve up for holidays, birthdays, or any other special occasion
Dietary requirements: vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), gluten-free, and soy-free

Notes on ingredients

You can find a complete list of ingredients with exact amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.

Dry roasted hazelnuts: Roasting hazelnuts deepens their flavor and gives them a crisper texture. Check How to roast hazelnuts for more info.
Coconut flour: Coconut flour is made from coconut flesh that has been dried and finely ground. It’s not the same as shredded or desiccated coconut. It is high in fiber and is a good source of protein, potassium, and iron.
Dates: Use any variety as long as they’re soft and moist. If you only have dry dates, put them in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until soft.
Cacao powder: Use raw or regular cocoa powder.
Cashews: They provide rich and creamy texture. Make sure to soak them at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
Coconut cream: Always use full-fat canned coconut milk or the cake won’t turn out creamy. Chill it in the refrigerator overnight so that you can easily separate cream from the liquid. The cream should be firm enough so that you can scoop it out with a spoon. If it’s too watery, the cake won’t be able to hold its shape.
Dark chocolate: For this recipe I used dark chocolate with 85% cocoa solids.
Date syrup: You can substitute it with maple syrup. I prefer date syrup because it’s thicker and it contains more than twice the potassium, calcium, and magnesium levels of maple syrup. Plus, date syrup has a sweeter taste and lower glycemic index.
Rice milk: Substitute it with cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk or almond milk. If you don’t follow a plant-based diet, you can use regular milk.
Vegan white chocolate: It can be found in large grocery stores or health food stores.
Agave syrup: You can substitute it with maple syrup.
Lemon juice: It adds a little extra flavor.
Maqui berry powder: Maqui berry powder is freeze-dried, which is the best method available to preserve the valuable nutrients found in maqui berries. You can find it online or in many local health food stores. When purchasing, always make sure that maqui berry powder is of the highest quality. If you don’t have maqui berry powder, mixing blue spirulina and pink pitaya powder will also produce a purple hue. Check out A quick guide to natural food colorings for more ideas.

How to make it

You can find a complete list of ingredients with exact amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.

Soaking cashews: Put cashews in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours.

Soaking dates: Put pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

Note: To ensure an ultra-smooth texture of the cashew cream, it’s important to use a high-speed blender.

Note on coconut cream: Always use full-fat canned coconut milk or the cake won’t turn out creamy. Chill it in the refrigerator overnight so that you can easily separate cream from the liquid. The cream should be firm enough so that you can scoop it out with a spoon. If it’s too watery, the cake won’t be able to hold its shape.

Crust

Line the base of a 16 cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
Drain dates really well after soaking them – you can use a fork to remove any excess water.
Place roasted hazelnuts (check How to roast hazelnuts), fine coconut flour, cacao powder, and dates in the food processor and process until the mixture sticks together.
Once it’s all combined, press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared mold. Place the crust into the fridge while you make the chocolate layer.

Chocolate layer

Melt dark chocolate in a small pot over low heat. Stir until smooth.
Drain cashews well and place them into a high-speed blender.
Add coconut cream (check Note on coconut cream), melted dark chocolate, lemon juice, date syrup, and rice milk and blend at high speed until smooth and creamy.
Carefully pour the chocolate mixture (or use a spoon) on top of the crust.
Place the cake in the fridge while you make maqui berry layer.

Maqui berry layer

Melt white chocolate in a small pot over low heat. Stir until smooth.
Drain cashews well and place them into a high-speed blender.
Add coconut cream (check Note on coconut cream), melted white chocolate, lemon juice, agave syrup, and rice milk and blend at high speed until smooth and creamy.
Add in maqui berry powder and blend again briefly until you reach the desired color.
Carefully pour the mixture (or use a spoon) on top of the chocolate layer.
Place the cake in the freezer to set for 4-5 hours or until firm.
Remove from the freezer 30 mins before serving, or until you can cut it easily with a sharp knife.

Serving suggestion

Drizzle with chocolate (check How to drizzle chocolate) and decorate with bliss balls and fresh berries.

Storing

Store leftover cheesecake in the fridge or store in the freezer for up to 3 months for optimal flavor.

Tips and how-tos

How to roast hazelnuts

Roasting hazelnuts deepens their flavor and gives them a crisper texture. Here is how to do it:

Preheat oven to 180 °C.
Spread the hazelnuts in an even layer on the baking sheet.
Place in oven and roast for 10-15 minutes.
Stir or shake the tray every 5 minutes to help the hazelnuts to cook evenly.
When the hazelnuts are browned and smell nutty, remove from the oven and immediately transfer onto a plate or another baking sheet.

How to drizzle chocolate

Melt dark chocolate in a small pot over low heat.
When the cake is nice and firm, take it out of the freezer.
Using a teaspoon, do a test drip by letting melted chocolate run down the side of the cake. If it falls rapidly and reaches the bottom of the cake, your chocolate is probably too warm. Let it cool down a bit and then try again until you create those beautiful, perfect drips!

Note: Having the melted chocolate and the cake at the right temperature is essential for this. You might need a little bit of practice, but it’s very easy once you get it.

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Chocolate Maqui No-Bake Cheesecake

Nensi Beram

Chocolate Maqui No-Bake Cheesecake is a layered no-bake dessert that combines a nutty crust with rich and creamy dark chocolate layer and tangy and sweet maqui berry layer. Perfect to serve up for holidays, birthdays, or any other special occasion.

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Prep Time 1

Cuisine Gluten-free, Vegan

Servings

Calories 572 kcal

Equipment