Rich Chocolate Cheesecake with Rosella & Ginger Jam

By Anthea Amore

Rich Chocolate Cheesecake with Rosella & Ginger Jam

Rich Chocolate Cheesecake with Rosella & Ginger Jam. Death by chocolate should be the name of this rich decadent dessert. The firm baked cheesecake texture is rather silky as it melts in your mouth and the dehydrated buckwheat makes the base totally biscuit like. 

Served with the slightly tart and spicy rosella jam makes this a dessert to impress!

The rosella fruit comes from the plant roselle or hibiscus sabdariffa and is a native fruit of Africa. They have an amazing deep blood red colour when cooked and make gorgeous jam. This rosella jam is paired beautifully with ginger and makes this dessert wonderful.

We all know about raw cacao powder but rosellas also have healing properties, which include the following: helping to promote proper kidney function, clearing up mucus and opening a blocked nose, great for digestion (mild laxative), helping to reduce fevers and good for cardiac and nerve diseases, as well as cancer. It is high in vitamin C and is an excellent antioxidant.

Makes 8 cheezecakes

(food rings – 7.5cm diameter 4.5cm high)

Note: Prepare jam before creating this chocolate cheezecake.

Base
1 cup hazelnuts

1 cup dehydrated buckwheat kernels
2 Californian dates, pitted
¼ cup cacao powder
½ tsp vanilla powder or paste
¼ tsp good salt
40 g coconut oil (1/2 cup melted)
2 tbs coconut nectar or agave syrup

Filling
100g cacao butter, shaved 

85g coconut oil (1/2 cup melted)
10 Californian dates, pitted
½ cup coconut nectar or agave syrup
4 small avocados (approximate 360g flesh)
1 cup cacao powder
2 tsp vanilla paste
1 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp salt
Extra cacao powder to garnish

Rosella and ginger jam
makes approximately 200g jam

4 cups rosellas, with ‘core’ removed* just enough water to cover
2.5cm ginger, finely grated
1 cup raw sugar or coconut sugar (Note: will change colour)
* Keep seeds aside for recipe

For the base

To make the base, process the hazelnuts in a food processor into a fine meal. Add 1/2 cup dehydrated buckwheat and blitz for 30 seconds. Then add dates and pulse for another 10-20 seconds or until combined. Add cacao powder, vanilla and salt and process for 10 seconds. Finally add remaining ingredients and whiz for 20-30 seconds or until the mixture forms a crumbly texture.

Spoon into food rings evenly and press base down with the back of a spoon until smooth. Place in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

Filling

Melt cacao butter in a stainless steel bowl over boiling water. Reduce heat to low as cacao butter begins to melt. Remove from heat when cacao is half way through melting. Place a saucepan lid on it to keep heat in. Once melted do the same, in a separate bowl, with the coconut oil.

Process dates and coconut nectar syrup until they form a smooth paste. Add avocado flesh and combine.

Add cacao powder, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and blend. Then add melted coconut oil and pulse for 10 seconds until mixed. Finally add the melted cacao butter and mix through until just combined. Remove quickly and spoon into rings as filling will begin to set. Fill each ring, tapping down and jiggling, to help filling settle. Smooth over with a palate knife and place in the fridge to set for 1-3 hours.

Remove from fridge, dust with cacao powder then carefully and evenly push the base upwards to pop the cheesecake out of the ring. Place on a plate with a spoon full of rosella and ginger jam and serve when ready.

Rosella and ginger jam

To remove seed core from rosella calyx buds use an apple corer. Place the seed core in a saucepan and just cover with water and boil on a medium heat for 30 minutes.

Strain. Use the juice from the boiled seeds to cook the rosella calyx. Simmer for 20-30 minutes with the ginger. Add the sugar and continue to boil for another 20 minutes.

Strain using a metal sieve for a silky smooth jam or leave rosella and ginger pulp in for a little texture. Place hot jam into sealable sterilised jars for a long shelf life.

This is an edited extract from PASSION: organic vegan recipes to live for by Anthea Amore. Available from the website here, or available in select book shops and health food stores across Australia. 

 
 

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