Mini Vegan Chocolate Orange Cheesecakes

Hello, you lovely lot.
 
Today we’re talking chocolate orange cheesecakes. Mini vegan ones!!!
 
Remember a few weeks ago, I told you about my new found love for raw vegan desserts? I went the rich, decadent route with this divinely moreish chocolate and chestnut cheesecake, and then took a trip to the tropics with this tropical mango, pineapple and passionfruit cheesecake. But my appetite has not yet been satiated. I’m still at it, and I think my latest creation, these mini vegan chocolate orange cheesecakes, really take the biscuit.

 
It’s chocolatey, for starters. And I don’t think anyone here will be adverse to anything chocolate. And if you are, then, well… I don’t know what to say. I mean, are you okay?
 
Not only are they chocolatey. They’re ORANGE CHOCOLATEY. I actually think they taste a little bit like Terry’s chocolate orange, except that they’re actually GOOD FOR YOU. I know. I’m pretty stoked too. Duping one of my favourite chocolate bars was not my original aim for these cheesecakes, believe it or not. But it does seem to have happened, and I think I’m really quite okay with it. I used a mixture of cocoa powder, pumpkin puree, orange essence and cashews. Pumpkin puree has been such a hero in my cooking recently!
 

 
Not only this, but these mini vegan cheesecakes are, uh… MINIATURE. AKA adorable.
 
Now- the base. Most raw cheesecake recipes I’ve come across seem to use medjool dates for the base almost exclusively, along with a nut (or two) of choice. It got me thinking- why not use a different soft dried fruit in place of the dates? So I trotted off to the supermarket and wandered into the wholefoods section. And there, nestled in amongst the medjool dates, were a bag of soft dried figs.
 
At that point I’d never tried soft dried figs, only fresh ones.
 

 
And I really love those. I even remember the first time I ever tried them. I was 14 years old, on holiday in Turkey. My dad and I had climbed up a steep beach path, to a little nook at the top lined with wooden benches overlooking the beach and setting sun. We watched the sun set, and within minutes it abruptly started to pour with rain. We took shelter under some trees where a Turkish man was sat eating a plate of fresh figs. He offered them to us, and we took them, myself a bit cautiously. We’d actually had a fig tree in our garden when I was growing up, but because of the colder UK climate, the figs never seemed to ripen enough to eat. When I had tried them, they’d tasted dry and sour. Needless to say I was a little reluctant to try the Turkish man’s fig. But I didn’t want to seem rude, so I took a bite. And- wow. It was so sweet and flavoursome. I couldn’t believe it.
 
So I figured there’d be no harm in trying out the soft dried figs.
 

 
They worked! Combined with the pecans, they’re a really nice pairing. Sweet and intense, but not sugary or overpowering.
 

 

 
These make a lovely afternoon treat and are perfect for kicking those sweet tooth cravings. They’re small, but mighty. Don’t underestimate the filling properties of a raw cheesecake- all those nuts and plant based goodness make for a really satisfying little snack!
 
Sprinkle with some freshly grated orange zest and crushed cashew nuts for the ultimate topping party.
 

 
As always, hope you love them! Leave a comment telling me what you think! 🙂

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