Raw mango vegan cheesecake

I've made a lot of cashew based cheesecakes but this had to be one of my favourites! Even my non-vegan friends loved it, and once decorated with goji berries, chocolate, nuts, fruit, edible flowers and coconut balls (recipe below), it made a deliciously happy looking dessert dish for Christmas day. I made this cheesecake in a cake tin and it turned out 15 generous serving slices. 

Base Ingredients

• 1 cups of almond meal
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut (I find organic coconut tastes HEAPS better than supermarket coconut)
• 1 cup pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 20 minutes or until soft

Mango layer

• 2 cups mango pieces (either fresh mango or I used frozen mango thawed)
• 2 1/2 cups cashews (soaked over night or for a min of 4 hours)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (or agave, rice syrup or malt syrup - whichever you prefer)
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 pinches of salt

Directions

1. Line a cake tin with baking paper or plastic wrap (gladwrap if you are a New Zealander!)
   
2. Put all the base ingredients into a food processor and blend until it becomes sticky and a fine-medium texture. Add some of the date water if it is too dry. 
   
3. Press base layer into the cake tin and place in the freezer while you make the mango layer.
   
4. Place the Mango layer ingredients EXCEPT for the mango into a blender (I find a blender results in a smoother texture than a food processor for this part). Blend until silky smooth. Take out about 2/3rds of a cup of this white mixture and set aside.
   
5. Add the mango and blend again, until the texture is nice and smooth. 
   
6. Take the base out of the freezer and pour the yellow mango layer into the tin. Spread evenly. Add the whie mixture you had set aside and marble this through the yellow mixture with a spoon.
   
7. Cover with plastic wrap or a plate, and refrigerate overnight or freeze for around 2 hours.
   
8. If you freeze this cheesecake, allow around 30-40 minutes to be able to cut into slices with a hot knife.
   
9. Serve cold on it's own or with creamy coconut yoghurt. 
   

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Decorating ideas:

• Extra mango slices
• Walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts or brazil nuts
• Dark chocolate, melted then drizzled on top of the cake
• Edible flowers
• Goji berries, cherries, slices of other fruit such as orange, plums or strawberries
• Flaked coconut
• Coconut balls from either Elephantastic Vegan or The Kitchn