Chai and Pumpkin Vegan Cheesecake

This vegan cheesecake was inspired by the autumn and winter seasons. If you love pumpkin soup and creamy chai drinks, you will love this cake!

I used a special Indian Masala Chai tea blend from West End Tea Co, a small tea company in Brisbane Australia. The tea blend contains cinnamon, star anise, clove, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds and nutmeg (everything is organic except the star anise). According to LiveStrong, cinnamon helps reduce blood-sugar levels and has powerful anti-bacterial properties. Star anise has similar benefits and also acts as an antioxidant.

I paired the chai flavour with pumpkin to give it some extra robustness and depth. Plus, it makes complete sense to pair a wintery drink with a wintery vegetable. The base is crunchy and gluten free. The cake has 2 creamy layers of spiced pumpkin cheesecake and chai vegan cheesecake.

The decorations look like a pixie’s playground (just how I like it). However, they are all mysteriously carefully spiced to complement the chai flavour of the cheesecake.

The cake is topped with whipped cinnamon coconut cream, blueberry cheesecake swirls lightly spiced with ginger, colourful bliss balls spiced like gingerbread and a chai tahini caramel. It’s a delightful vegan cheesecake that’s colourful and playful yet reminiscent of a warm chai tea or a warm hug in Australia’s cooling weather.

If you make this vegan cheesecake, you definitely don’t need to have all of these toppings. I’d suggest just doing a couple of them or using anything in your pantry. You don’t even need decorations! Either way, just enjoy it and remember to do lots of taste testing 😉

Chai and Pumpkin (almost) Raw Cheesecake

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

If you love pumpkin soup & creamy chai drinks, you'll love this vegan cheesecake! Dairy and refined sugar-free, it's a yummy healthy dessert alternative.

Three Silver Spoons Author: Anthea Cheng

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• Pumpkin cheesecake layer
• ½ – ¾ cup pumpkin, chopped into small cubes
• 1 cup cashews, soaked in water overnight
• ¼ cup coconut cream
• ⅛ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut butter
• ½ tsp vanilla bean powder
• Dash of cinnamon and ginger, to taste
  
• 
  Base
• ⅓ cup dates, soaked in water overnight
• ¾ cup mixture of buckwheat, sunflower seeds, coconut and/or nuts
• 1 tsp loose chai tea leaves + ⅛ cup water
• Pinch of Himalayan salt
  
  
• Chai cheesecake layer
• 1 cup cashews, soaked in water overnight
• 1 tsp loose chai tea leaves + ⅛ cup coconut milk
• ⅓ cup coconut cream
• ⅛ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut butter
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
  
  
• Optional toppings
• Whipped coconut cream: ¼ cup coconut cream, cinnamon to taste
• Colourful gingerbread bliss balls: ¼ cup mixture of buckwheat, sunflower seeds and coconut, 2 tbsp rice malt syrup, natural colourings as desired (I used beetroot and spinach leaves)
• Chai-spiced caramel: ¼ cup dates, soaked in water overnight, ⅛ cup tahini, leftover chai cheesecake
• Fruity chai frosting: Any type of fruit, leftover chai cheesecake
• Additional: Any chocolate with spices, nuts with spices, whatever is in your pantry!

Instructions

1. The night before, soak the dates (for the base) and the cashews (for the pumpkin and chai layers) in enough water to cover. Steep the chai leaves in water (for the base) and in coconut milk (for the chai cheesecake later). Store in fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray and 14cm cake tin with baking paper.
3. Spread the pumpkin on the lined baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or the pumpkin has turned golden brown and reduced in size.
4. For the base: Drain the dates and strain the chai leaves and water reserving the water. Add all ingredients to a food processor and whizz until combined. Press evenly into the bottom of the cake tin.
5. For the chai cheesecake layer: Drain and rinse the cashews. Strain the coconut milk and chai leaves reserving the milk. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until extremely creamy. Remove and set aside.
6. For the pumpkin cheesecake layer: Drain the cashews. When the pumpkin has cooled, add all ingredients to a food processor. Blend until extremely creamy and pour onto the cheesecake base. Smooth the top and put in the freezer to set.
7. When the pumpkin layer has partially set, pour the chai cheesecake into the cake tin reserving a little cheesecake for decorations. Smooth the top of the cake and put in the freezer to set.

Optional Toppings: use any of the following toppings or use your own toppings to decorate the cheesecake as desired.

1. Whipped coconut cream: Simply place the coconut cream in a bowl and whip with an electric beater until stiff. Gently stir through the cinnamon.
2. Bliss balls: Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and whizz until combined. Separate the mixture in and add colourings if desired. Shape into balls or as desired.
3. Chai caramel: Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and whizz until smooth.
4. Fruity chai frosting: Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and whizz until smooth.

3.5.3208

Anthea Cheng

Rainbow Nourishments

Anthea created her healthy food blog as a way to share colourful and nourishing vegan food with people internationally and in her local community in Canberra, Australia. She also has a small cake business where she makes unique raw vegan cakes for local Canberrans.