No-bake chocolate and beetroot cheesecake

Ingredients

Base

• 1 packet gluten-free plant-based Anzac style biscuits, or your favourite plant-based biscuits of cookies, such as Oreos or Biscoff)
• 100 g melted plant-based butter

Chocolate and beetroot filling

• 50 g roasted baby beets, skin removed
• 500 g vegan cream cheese
• 100 g dark chocolate, melted
• 2 tbsp cacao powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g caster sugar
• 250 ml plant-based cream

To finish

• 250 ml plant-based cream
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ cup icing sugar
• 30 ml reserved beet liquid

Chilling time: 4 hours or overnight.

Instructions

1. Line a springform baking pan with greaseproof paper.
2. For the base, blend the biscuits to a crumb and pour in the butter. Take out and press around the edge of the springform pan and place in the fridge while you make the rest of the cheesecake.
3. With your roasted beets, when cooled, grate them on a box grater into a fine strainer, and press out a little of the liquid, reserve the liquid to use later.
4. Add grated beets, cream cheese, melted chocolate, vanilla and cacao powder to a large bowl. Use a spatula to fold all of the ingredients together, until the cacao powder has been distributed. Then add the caster sugar and fold through.
5. In a separate bowl whisk the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in ⅓ of the whipped cream. Gently fold in the remaining cream, ⅓ at a time. Adding the cream in three stages helps the mixture to keep its lift.
6. Remove the base from the fridge and pour the cheesecake mixture on top. Chill until set (ideally overnight).
7. Finish by whipping the cream with the icing sugar, vanilla and the reserved beet liquid.
8. Decorate the cheesecake or alternatively, pipe around cut portions of cheesecake to serve.

Note

Use leftover roast beetroot or allow extra preparation time if roasting them specifically for this recipe.