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Vegan Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

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5 from 6 votes

This vegan chocolate orange cheesecake with gluten-free toasted oat crust is a super decadent dessert made with all whole food ingredients. This recipe was created in partnership with Raaka Chocolate.

An overhead shot of a vegan chocolate orange cheesecake on a white background. The top of the cheesecake has a wreath or different coloured orange slices on top of a white cashew cream and melted chocolate marble design. To the side is a pink linen napkin, a paring knife and a vintage silver serving utensil.
An overhead shot of ingredients for a vegan cheesecake on a white background.
An overhead shot of a black measuring spoon filled with cacao powder on a white background. The cacao is spilled out all around the spoon.
An overhead shot of a bag of Raaka Oat Milk Baking Chocolate spilling out onto a white background. There is a sliced orange and a small white bowl of orange zest nearby.

You know, I don’t share desserts often here but when I do, I go all out. This vegan chocolate orange cheesecake is a total celebration of one of my favourite flavour combinations. The filling is tangy and rich like a truffle and the cacao oat crust holds it all in like a toasty hug. A beautiful ring of sliced Cara Cara, navel, and blood oranges brings the sunshine.

I used Raaka Chocolate’s Oat Milk Baking Chocolate and Cacao Powder in this dessert. I love the fruity and bright flavours of their unroasted chocolate—it perfectly compliments the zesty orange and the cozy toasted oats. All of Raaka’s chocolate is single origin and procured through a process called “transparent trade” where farmers and co-ops are paid higher rates than the fair trade minimum. More information on that here.

Every product I’ve had from Raaka is also just so delicious. The seasonal flavours that they come up with for their bars honestly blow my mind. I also love that every item on their website offers a rundown on the sourcing, what farmers were paid for the cacao, and tasting notes.

In this cheesecake, we used the melted, dairy-free Oat Milk Baking Chocolate and their Cacao Powder. The Oat Milk Baking Chocolate is slightly mellow and perfectly sweetened with maple sugar. We use maple syrup as a sweetener in this cake, so the flavour pairing just works! I combine the melted chocolate and maple syrup is combined with soaked cashews, coconut milk, vanilla, and plenty of orange zest and juice. Sticky dates, cacao powder, and toasted oats form a sturdy but still tender crust. The whole vibe of this chocolate orange cheesecake is super lush, but also wholesome. My partner definitely ate slices of it for breakfast!

Hope you’ll give this recipe a try if you feel like you need to spoil yourself a bit. This chocolate would also be incredible in these chocolate orange bundt cakes.

An overhead shot of a vegan chocolate orange cheesecake on a white background. The top of the cheesecake has a wreath or different coloured orange slices on top of a white cashew cream and melted chocolate marble design. To the side is a pink linen napkin, a paring knife and a vintage silver serving utensil.
A side angle shot of a vegan chocolate orange cheesecake with a slice removed, showing the chocolaty truffle-like texture of the cake. The top of the cheesecake is decorated with different coloured orange slices and a bright white cashew cream marbled with melted chocolate.
An up close, overhead shot of a slice of chocolate cheesecake with a forkful nearby on a white speckled plate.

Vegan Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

This chocolate orange cheesecake with gluten-free toasted oat crust is a super decadent dessert made with all whole food ingredients.
5 from 6 votes
An overhead shot of a vegan chocolate orange cheesecake on a white background. The top of the cheesecake has a wreath or different coloured orange slices on top of a white cashew cream and melted chocolate marble design. To the side is a pink linen napkin, a paring knife and a vintage silver serving utensil.
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 30 mins
Resting & Soaking Time: 8 hrs
Total Time: 8 hrs 30 mins
Servings 10 (1 8-inch cake)

Ingredients

Toasted Oat Crust

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup soft Medjool Dates
  • ¼ cup Cacao Powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼-⅓ cup non-dairy milk or water

Cheesecake Filling

  • 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours and drained
  • ¾ cup full fat coconut milk
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons Cacao Powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 5 oz (140 grams) Oat Milk Baking Chocolate, melted

Equipment

Notes

  • I topped this cheesecake with a vanilla cashew cream and some additional melted oat milk baking chocolate, and just swirled the two together with a paring knife. This step is optional because the cheesecake alone is so rich. If you’d like to make the cashew cream topping yourself, you’ll need to blend the following in a high speed blender: ½ cup raw cashews (soaked for 4 hours and drained), 1/3 cup filtered water (plus extra of necessary), 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Blend those ingredients on high until silky smooth. Let the cream set up in the fridge to firm up for about 30 minutes before spreading on top of the fully set cheesecake, and then drizzling with melted chocolate.
  • I finished this cheesecake with peeled slices of a regular orange, a cara cara orange, and a blood orange. Makes the final dessert look so beautiful, but isn’t 100% absolutely necessary. I also sprinkled a little pinch of cacao nibs as well. 

Instructions

  • Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan with coconut oil and set aside.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the rolled oats until very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set the oats aside to cool.
  • In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooled toasted oats, Medjool dates, cacao powder, and sea salt. Pulse the mixture until finely chopped. Then, with the motor running, drizzle in ¼ cup of the non-dairy milk into the food processor through the feed tube. The mixture should start sticking together and balling up. If it isn’t doing this, keep adding more non-dairy milk by the tablespoon until it forms a slightly sticky “dough.”
  • Press the toasted oat crust into the prepared springform pan evenly. I like to use the bottom and sides of a dry measuring cup to press the crust up the sides of the pan. Once adequately pressed in, set the crust aside.
  • Make the cheesecake filling. In an upright, high speed blender, combine the drained cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cacao powder, sea salt, and the melted oat milk chocolate. Blend this mixture on high until completely smooth and fully incorporated, at least 1 full minute. If the ingredients aren’t blending easily, stop the motor of the blender periodically and push the ingredients down with a spatula. Then, resume blending on high.
  • Once you have the filling completely smooth, Pour it into the prepared toasted oat crust. Spread the filling out evenly with a spatula. Place the cheesecake in the fridge until the filling is completely set, at least 4 hours.
  • Garnish the chocolate orange cheesecake with the the suggested cashew cream in the recipe notes or simply with a drizzle of melted oat milk chocolate. I like to take the cheesecake out of the fridge about 10 minutes before I intend to slice and serve it.
  • This cheesecake keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Author: Laura Wright
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dairy-free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Plant-Based, Special Diets, Sugar-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: blood oranges, cacao powder, cara cara oranges, cashews, chocolate, coconut milk, coconut oil, dark chocolate, lemon, maple syrup, medjool dates, orange, orange juice, vanilla
An overhead shot of a vegan chocolate orange cheesecake on a white background. The top of the cheesecake has a wreath or different coloured orange slices on top of a white cashew cream and melted chocolate marble design. To the side is a pink linen napkin, a paring knife and a vintage silver serving utensil.

This post was created in partnership with Raaka Chocolate. All opinions are my own.

20/01/2021 (Last Updated: 20/01/2021)
Posted in: autumn, cashews, creamy, dessert, gluten free, holidays, refined sugar-free, spring, summer, sweet, vegan, winter
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