Chocolate and cherries are a match made in heaven. I made this cake a few months back when it was still freezing outside, so my choice of cherries here were frozen sour cherries. Using frozen cherries instead of fresh ones might even be a good idea if you do have the fresh ones available as it saves you time on taking out the pits! But using fresh cherries for decoration makes a lot of sense if you happen to have cherries – sweet or sour, available.
The cake has three layers but even so, it is not a difficult cake to prepare. The most difficult part of this cake is waiting for it to set. In a perfect world, it would be good to leave it in the fridge to set for 2 hours. If your guests are already waiting, feel free to just pop the cake in the freezer to speed up the waiting time. Another thing that needs to set is the glaze, but as we use agar-agar as a setting agent, and agar-agar starts to set around 110F, this does not take long at all.
Just a warning ahead to all the sweet tooths out there, that the recipe with given amounts is not sweet. Make sure you taste all the layers and feel free to add sugar whenever you feel it is necessary. This cheesecake is gluten-free and vegan!
Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
Cooking time: 30 min active, 2 ½ waiting time
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
For the base:
2 ½ oz dark chocolate
4 ½ oz almond flour
For the filling:
6 oz dark chocolate
17 oz silken tofu
1 cup oat-based whipping cream
Optional: up to ½ cup powdered sugar
For the glaze:
10 oz frozen cherries
2 ½ oz sugar
½ tsp agar-agar
2 oz cocoa butter
Instructions:
Melt the chocolate and mix in the almond flour.
Lay on the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan and push down firmly. Feel free to wet your hands if it feels sticky.
Keep the base in the fridge until you prepare the filling.
Melt the chocolate, add the tofu and blend with a stick until you get a smooth mix.
In a separate bowl whip the cream until stiff peaks.
Fold the two mixtures together carefully.
Have a taste and add powdered sugar if you feel like it. I generally prefer cakes that are not sweet, but make sure that you are happy with the sweetness level!
Pour the mixture on top of the base, smooth out the top and leave to set in the fridge for 2 hours or so. If you are busy, use the freezer instead.
Bring the cherries (without the pits, of course) and sugar to boil, add agar agar, and boil for a minute. This is necessary because agar agar needs to be activated.
Add the cocoa butter and let it melt.
Blend everything with a stick blender until very smooth, let it cool down to about 100F, then slowly pour over the cold cake and let the glaze drip down the sides.
Decorate with fresh cherries if desired, and leave to set for another 15 minutes in the fridge.
By Kadri Raig
Kadri is a food blogger and yoga teacher from Estonia. She loves to spend time in the kitchen, but most of her recipes are simple and don’t take more than 20 minutes of active cooking time. She thinks that everybody can find time to cook healthy food at home, it is just a question of planning. "I work in an office full time, teach yoga 7-8 hours a week and write a blog. So if I manage to cook most of my meals, then so do you!" Connect with Kadri and enjoy many more of her delicious healthy recipes on her website here: www.kahvliga.ee.
Enjoy this FREE 25-Minute yoga class from home, before your delicious plaintain nachos!
25-Minute Full Body Yoga with Keith Allen