This vegan cheesecake recipe is full of spiced apple and coconutty goodness. It's meant to feed a crowd but we won't blame you if you want to eat it all yourself! This dessert is super easy to make and uses our Niulife Coconut Oil and Niulife Coconut Flakes. Special thanks to Lauren Wright from Healthy 'n Happy for this delicious creation.

Ingredients

Crust

- 1 cup (145g) almonds

- ½ cup (70g) white spelt flour

- 2 + ½ tablespoons (50ml) maple syrup

- 3 tablespoons (40g) Niulife coconut oil

- 1 tablespoons (10ml) cold water

Cheesecake

- ¾ cup (130g) blanched almonds, soaked in water overnight*

- 160g silken tofu

- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (130ml) maple syrup

- 2 teaspoons (15ml) vanilla extract

- 1 tablespoon (10ml) water

- ½ teaspoon lemon juice

Stewed Apples

- 4 Granny Smith apples (300g) after peeling, coring and dicing

- 2 tablespoons (40ml) maple syrup

- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons (30ml) water

Crumble

- 3 tablespoons (25g) rolled oats

- 4 tablespoons (15g) Niulife shredded coconut

- ¼ cup (40g) almonds, roughly chopped

- 1 tablespoon (20ml) maple syrup

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F fan forced and line and grease a 20cm tart tin with coconut oil.

Make the crust:
Process the almonds and spelt flour together in a food processor until it forms a flour. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Blend to form a dough. Using your fingers, press the dough evenly into the greased tart tin. Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

While the crust is cooling make the cheesecake filling: 
Add all the ingredients to a high powered food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Evenly pour into the baked crust and lightly tap it onto the bench top to remove any air bubbles. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes (leave the oven on for the crumble). The outsides should be firm and the middle should be slightly firm to touch but will still leave an imprint if you touch it too hard. It should be lightly golden in colour. Remove from oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack before transferring to the fridge to set for at least 3 hours.

Make the apple topping: 
Combine all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop any burning. The apples should be tender. Leave to cool.

Make the crumble: 
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Evenly spread over a lined baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. It should be lightly golden in appearance. Remove from oven and leave to cool completely.

Once the cheesecake has chilled, carefully remove it from the tart tin and top it with the stewed apples and crumble. Slice and enjoy. Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes*
You can blanch your own almonds by soaking whole almonds in water overnight, draining them and then using your fingers to gently squeeze them out of their skins.