Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
A lovely blue-hued vegan mini cheesecake with a luxuriously flavorful and sweet blueberry jam ribbon, topped with a non-dairy white chocolate drizzle.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 mini cakes
- Category: Dessert, Cheesecake
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Almond Crust
- 3 tbsp slivered almonds
- ½ tbsp coconut sugar
- ½ tbsp coconut oil, softened (I used a de-scented kind)
Cheesecake Filling
- 3⁄4 cup raw cashews, pre-soaked*
- 3 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, softened
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp blue butterfly pea flower powder
- ⅜ teaspoon salt
Blueberry Swirl
- 1 tbsp blueberry jam**
Toppings
- 2 tablespoon vegan white chocolate chips
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- dried edible blue cornflower petals for sprinkling
Instructions
- Place the silicone mini cake mold on a small metal tray (or flat plate), with the cavity openings facing up. Set aside.
- Grind the almonds and coconut sugar from the crust ingredients down into a rough crumble (either using a mini food processor or a mortar and pestle -- I used a mortar and pestle here). Add in the coconut oil and mix the mixture to incorporate the oil throughout. Set aside for now.
- Blend all cheesecake filling ingredients together into a completely smooth consistency in a power blender. Spoon half this mixture, divided evenly, between 3 cavities of the mold. Try to spread it around the bottom of the cavity evenly.
- Carefully spoon the blueberry jam in a thin line running length-wise along the center of each mold cavity (on top of the filling you already spooned in there), dividing it evenly between the three molds.
- Carefully spoon in the remaining cheesecake filling on top of the jam, dividing the mixture evenly between the three molds.
- Sprinkle the ground almond mixture lightly on top of each filled cavity, dividing the mixture evenly. Press it in very lightly with your fingers to ensure it will be held in place by setting into the cheesecake filling.
- Place the metal tray with the cake mold on it in the freezer and freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight to set.
- Once the mini cakes set, remove them from the mold and place them on a piece of parchment paper on the metal tray. Place back in the freezer while you prepare the drizzling chocolate.
- Melt the vegan white chocolate chips and the coconut oil for the topping drizzle using a gentle double boiler method (or in the microwave on short bursts if you prefer). When ready to drizzle, remove the mini cakes from the freezer again, drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with dried flower petals immediately (they stick better before the chocolate drizzle freezes).
- To serve the cake, thaw it out at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes until it softens a little and enjoy! Otherwise keep the cake frozen until ready to eat.
Notes
*To pre-soak nuts: place in a glass bowl, cover with water, and leave to soak for 4 hours (or overnight in the fridge). Then strain and discard the water. For a quick pre-soak, cover with boiled water and soak for 15 mins, then strain and discard water. (Note: this technique doesn’t preserve the nutrition of the recipe as well as the traditional soaking technique above). Additional Note: the purpose of soaking the nuts is to re-hydrate them and plump them up for blending into a smooth, cheesecake-like consistency. Proper soaking techniques also maximize nutrition and digestibility. If you’re interested in learning more about nut soaking and other dessert prep tips and tricks, I delve into these subjects in detail in my book Unconventional Treats.
**For the jam, you can either use regular blueberry jam, or a fruit sweetened one. Or alternatively can use this home-made maple-sweetened recipe.