Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake

I have been trying to decide for a while what sort of birthday cake I would like this year. My mind has been distracted with the Nourishing Treats ebook though and I haven't been able to think of other recipes. But now it is released it has cleared my mind to think of other things....or so I thought. 

The thing is, and nothing against any of the other recipes in the ebook because I love them all, but I have not been able to get the Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart out of my head. Every time I think of what cake I would like it goes a little like this. What's in season? Strawberries are beautiful at the moment, I could do a strawberry...salted caramel chocolate cheesecake...dammit. Okay, what about persimmons, they are perfect right now. I could do a persimmon...salted caramel - d'oh! I was saying to a couple of girlfriends, maybe a Neapolitan cake to hail back to childhood ice cream cakes, but no, it just didn't cut it.

I could NOT get salted caramel and chocolate from my mind. 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart - the muse 

So there was really no point fighting it any longer right? I figured, make the cake,  get it out of your system then move on and all will be forgotten. I might even think of something else I would prefer. 

Only things didn't turn out that way. I made the cake. The cake is good. The cake is damn good. 

And now I have two salted caramel chocolate things to obsess over. 

Which is completely foreign to me. See chocolate has never been something that I crave. Don't judge me, friends have questioned what our relationship is based on because of this. But we're all different. I have always loved creating chocolate recipes and I love looking at all things chocolate related. Even as a child I learned how to make my own chocolates and spent hours coming up with different fillings, falling in love with different moulds to use. But I rarely ate them. It's just not something I crave. Except when you mix it with caramel. And of course salt. Now you're talking baby! 

The nutty base is a thick layer, which is perfect for this cheesecake as it's quite rich. Then you have a thick layer of decadent chocolate cheesecake with a squidgy centre of soft salty caramel. How salty you make it is up to you. I've kept the cheesecake part not too sweet as the caramel more than makes up for it, but as always, have a taste. If it's not sweet enough for you then add more sweetener. 

So here it is. My birthday cake for 2019. Inspired by my own tart! I hope you love it as much as I do. 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

Base:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup cacao nibs
• 3 dates

Cheesecake:

• 2 cups soaked cashews
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 heaped tbsp thick coconut milk (scooped from the top of a chilled tin, leaving behind the water)
• Generous pinch of Celtic salt

Caramel:

• 1 cup dates 
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 heaped tsp each of mesquite (optional) and celtic salt

To decorate: 

• Salted Caramel Truffles from our Chocolate Lovers recipe (I made the full recipe and made various sizes to use)
• Cacao nibs

Method

Base:

• Add almonds, cacao powder and salt to the food processor and blend until fine
• With the motor running, add the coconut oil and cacao nibs and run until mixed well. You want the nibs to retain some texture as they will give some crunch to the base
• Press firmly into a lined 20cm springform cake tin. Freeze while making the remaining recipe 

Caramel:

• Make the caramel next. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and run the motor until it's well combined and smooth
• Scrape out of the blender into a bowl (no need to clean the blender for the cheesecake part) 

Cheesecake:

• Add all ingredients to the blender and process until smooth
• Taste for saltiness and sweetness
• Pour half of the mix on top of the base. Spread to the edges and pop in the freezer for 15 minutes to set slightly
• Remove from freezer and pour the caramel over the cheesecake, not quite to the edges
• Pour the remaining cheesecake mix over the top and smooth right to the edges, enveloping the caramel
• Set in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Once firm, move to the fridge to remain set but not frozen

This will give at least 12 slices and will last for a week or more in the fridge. You could also cut it in half, keep half in the fridge and the other half in an airtight container in the freezer. You can also make individual cheesecakes in silicon muffin moulds and store in the freezer

Enjoy!