Strawberry and chocolate ‘cheesecake’

I’ve always been a bit partial to a slice of deliciously creamy cheesecake. Before I went dairy-free and plant-based my favourites were the ones you could buy frozen (I never tried to make my own!). Super-sweet crunchy biscuit base, thick and creamy filling then finished with a colourful layer of blackcurrants or strawberries, coated with more sugar of course. It hit all the pleasure buttons in one go!

When I went dairy-free, cheesecake was off the menu until I discovered the raw version – not quite so super-sweet but still delicious. I loved experimenting with different flavours – there are two amazing ones in my new book Eat Well Live Well with The Sensitive Foodie that are a winner every time.

As a rule, raw cheesecakes have coconut milk or cream as the key filling ingredient. It’s rich, creamy and sets solid when chilled allowing the cheesecake to firm up and maintain its structure. It has some healthy properties to it when consumed in moderate amounts (although no fibre, so coconut flesh is more nutritious). It’s also deliciously fatty due to its high concentration of saturated fats. And that’s a problem when saturated fats are off the menu.

I now follow the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis protocol, an evidence-based diet and lifestyle programme designed to optimise health and well-being for people with MS and even promote recovery (note I don’t say ‘cure’ here, that’s not an option just yet….). Research suggests that saturated fats are involved in the MS inflammatory process that damages myelin, the fatty protective sheath that surrounds the nerves. So a diet low in saturated fats, and high in anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fats, along with other elements like stress reduction and meditation, can help promote recovery.

As I was already following a mainly whole-food plant-based diet, the changes weren’t too difficult for me – except for coconut, as I love it! But if it means that I can control my MS, it’s worth it – it’s weighing up the cost vs benefit (see this old blog post for more about this).

I’d been mulling over how to make a plant-based cheesecake without coconut for a while. It still needed to be creamy, but not collapse as soon as it came out of the fridge. After a few experiments, I found a combination of cornflour (or arrowroot) and agar agar, an algae-based gelling agent, worked the best. Actually, it works really well!

The other thing I miss following the OMS programme is chocolate. Due to the high saturated fat content of cocoa butter, it’s also not on the menu. But cacao and cocoa are (thank goodness!). In fact, cacao is thought to be beneficial for people with MS as it contains powerful anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. So I’ve included an extra layer of decadence with a chocolate topping, as strawberry and chocolate are such an awesome combination. In fact there are so many nutritious goodies in this cheesecake it makes dessert a health food, my ultimate aim in life (ha ha)!  You can of course omit this layer if it seems too much like hard work, and just go for the plain fruit topping.

I like to make my own cashew cream as it doesn’t contain any unwanted preservatives, but if you don’t have time, then Oatly cream (black cartons only for OMSer’s – no palm oil) or soya cream both work well.

Unless it’s the middle of strawberry season, I would recommend using frozen strawberries to make this cheesecake. Out of season, strawberries can be watery and flavourless (and covered in chemicals). Frozen strawberries have a more intense flavour and mean this can be readily made all year round. And of course, you can always use other fruit, not just strawberry. I’m looking forward to making a mango and passion fruit one soon.

Don’t be put off by the number of stages involved in making this cheesecake – it’s much easier than it looks at first glance! The only potential issue is knowing when to stop heating the mix and trusting it will set. It’s a leap of faith, but I’ve not be let down yet………

So if you fancy a plant-based cheesecake without the coconut, then why not give this one a go. And if you do, don’t forget to let me know how you get on. I’m really happy that my recipe is up on the OMS website too. If you are looking for more OMS-friendly recipes (apart from here on my blog!) then have a look at their website here.

Enjoy!

Have you got your copy of Eat Well Live Well with The Sensitive Foodie yet? It’s a great guide to eating a whole-food plant-based diet with easy to understand science plus over 100 recipes to get you started on your plant-based journey. Available on Amazon in paperback and on kindle now.