Kombucha-Fermented Cheesecake
I created this lovely vegan cheesecake for my friends at Real Kombucha who make beautiful kombuchas with single variety teas such Jasmine, Dragon Well and Darjeeling. You can have a lot of fun with different flavours of kombucha in this recipe: try those based on single estate teas, or homemade seasonal fruity numbers like the chamomile and apple kombucha.
Servings: 10 people
Equipment
- 20cm cake or tart tin with a removable base or, for individual cheesecakes, a 12-hole muffin tin, each cup lined with a strip of silicone-free grease-proof paper to aid removal
Ingredients
For the cheesecake filling
- 250 g cashews or macadamia nuts
- 250 ml kombucha
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 75 g coconut milk
- 100 g maple syrup or honey if you don't need the cheesecake to be vegan
- a pinch of sea salt
For the base
- 50 g spelt or buckwheat flour
- 75 g jumbo porridge oats
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- a pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 50 ml olive or coconut oil (or a mix)
- 50 g chopped dried fruits (dates, apricots, raisins, mango and/or figs)
- 50 g chopped nuts, seeds and/or nut butter
- grated zest of 1 lemon, lime of orange (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cashews or macadamia nuts for the cheesecake filling in a bowl and cover with the kombucha. Leave to soak at room temperature for 6 hours or in the fridge overnight. Strain the cashews, making sure you keep the kombucha liquid.
- To make the base, preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Add the flour, oats, baking powder and salt to a big bowl. Mix well so the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix everything together.
- Press this base mix into the cake or tart tin, or the holes of muffin tin – adding enough of the mix to create a 1cm-deep base (you might have a bit of excess mix – if you do, use it to bake little cookies!). Slide the cheesecake base into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Put the kombucha-soaked, drained cashews in a food processor with the coconut oil, coconut milk and maple syrup. Add a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, adding 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved kombucha liquid both for flavour and to help bring the mix together into a smooth, creamy cheesecake filling. You can also add a touch more syrup or honey if needed.
- Spoon the filling over the chilled base(s). Return to the fridge for 4-6 hours or freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until set.
- The cheesecake will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for up to 3 months (defrost it in the fridge before serving). Serve it with fresh, seasonal fruit.
Notes
Recipe by Natural Chef Academic Director Rachel De Thample.
Allergens: gluten, nuts. CNM recommends the use of organic ingredients
Allergens: gluten, nuts. CNM recommends the use of organic ingredients