This Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake was originally created for some upcoming Thanksgiving recipes I have planned. I started making it and realized that it really was kind of the perfect looking dessert to post on Halloween.
Sometimes mistakes happen while cooking that end up working out great! This is one of those recipes. I wanted to do a marbled cheesecake with half of the pumpkin batter and the other half vanilla. Well I was having a grand ole time making it and ended up combining everything in the blender and didn’t think twice about the whole marbling situation.
So my mistake ended up turning in to marbling with some melted dark chocolate instead and I LOVED how it turned out. So yeah for that…my mistakes don’t always turn out so well…Hah!
A few things about this recipe before I finish up this post. The cashews need to be soaked so you can do a quick soak or soak them overnight. I will detail that in the notes. The crust does not have any added sweeteners so it is a good contrast to the sweet pumpkin filling.
This really is a great dessert for the fall season and a much healthier version of the classic pumpkin cheesecake.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 2 hours (includes chilling time)
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake made with soaked cashews, pumpkin and sweet maple. All topped with a rich dark chocolate.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup palm shortening
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
Filling
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked (see notes)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (I prefer Primal Palate )
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
Chocolate
- 3 oz dark chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9-inch spring form pan and place on a baking sheet.
- Combine all of the crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Press the dough in to the pan and up the sides some and then bake for 12 minutes.
- Add all of the cheesecake filling ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the batter on top of the crust and smooth with a spatula.
- Add a small dollop of melted chocolate to the cheesecake and use a knife or tooth pick to drag the chocolate out in to the batter and marble it.
- Repeat until the chocolate is gone or it reaches your desired amount of chocolate
- Place it in the freezer to set for about 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator for about 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Storage – cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Place the cashews in a small saucepan and fill with water until cashews are fully submerged. Bring the water to boil and then take off the heat and place a lid on the saucepan and let cashews soak for a minimum of one hour. Drain them in to a colander and then rinse.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
Now this is what I call a beautiful mistake! Even though you didn’t intend for the chocolate layer, it adds the perfect touch! Wish I had a slice right now!
Jessi's Kitchen says
Right? It is nice when a mistake turns in to something awesome! Hah!
Sarah | Well and Full says
Some of my best recipes have come from “mistakes”!! Maybe they’re not really mistakes, and they’re actually the universe helping us make the most delicious recipe possible! 😉
Sarah says
Hi Jessi, did you use canned coconut milk here? Full fat or light? Thanks!
Jessi's Kitchen says
Sarah – I used canned full-fat coconut milk. I will change that in the recipe right now. Thanks for pointing that out. 🙂
Karen Bail says
what is palm shortening? are there any alternatives please? cheers, Karen
Jessi's Kitchen says
It is a type of palm oil. It is a great dairy-free alternative. You can use butter as a substitute.