Caramel Pumpkin ‘Cheesecake’
Soaked cashews and coconut butter replace cream cheese in this raw-inspired dessert. Bites of pumpkin and a homemade caramel sauce make it perfect for holiday meals!
Yield
12-16 servings
Ingredients
Baked Pumpkin
- 2 cups chopped kabocha pumpkin
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
Caramel Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons vegan butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy milk
Crust
- 2 cups almonds
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped dried figs
- 1 Tablespoon agave nectar
Filling
- 3 cups cashews, soaked 1 hour and drained
- 8 medjool dates, pitted
- ⅓ cup agave nectar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup coconut butter
- 2 teaspoons non-alcohol vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup ground toasted hazelnuts for topping
Instructions
- To make Baked Pumpkin: Preheat oven to 375º. Toss chopped kabocha with coconut oil. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned on edges, then set aside to cool.
- To prepare Caramel Sauce: Heat vegan butter, brown sugar and soy milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbly. Let simmer for five more minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool and thicken.
- To form Crust: Add almonds to a food processor and grind until fine.
- Add salt, raisins, figs and 1 Tablespoon agave nectar to ground almonds. Process until mixture is sticky and not crumbly. If mixture isn’t clumping together, add a couple Tablespoons of water and continue to process until sticky. Press into a springform pan and place in refrigerator.
- To prepare Filling: Add cashews to food processor and grind until fine. Add ⅓ cup agave, dates, lemon juice, coconut butter, vanilla and cinnamon to food processor. Blend until very smooth, adding water 1 Tablespoon at a time as needed for a smooth texture.
- Add cooled pumpkin to processor mixture and pulse to combine. Pour Filling into Crust. Pour Caramel Sauce over and sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts. Place in freezer for 4 hours or until firm. Leave at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!