Paleo White Chocolate & Moringa Caramel Cheesecake

The very lovely people over at Aduna sent me out a couple of samples of their Moringa & Baobab powder to try out. I thought that I should start with the moringa as it’s quite earthy and so could potentially be a bit of a challenge.  Moringa tastes almost like a hybrid of matcha and barleygrass! I love it!

Aduna harvests it’s leaves from the moringa tree (sourced responsibly from Africa) and naturally dries them.

If you’ve not heard about moringa before it’s the next best thing in the world of superfoods! It is 100% organic and boasts some rather attractive health benefits:

• Improves skin, hair and nails. Oh and it is also anti-ageing ladies (and gents)!
• Is a natural multivitamin.
• Improves immune, cardiovascular and bone health.
• Helps combat stress by maintaining a steady blood pressure, reducing tiredness and fatigue and maintaining hormonal health.
• Aids in detoxing the liver and gives a boost of energy.
• Can be used as a post workout supplement due to it’s high nutrient & protein content.

So what was a girl to make with such an amazing superfood? Cheesecake of course, a caramel one – because I just can’t help but make things that little bit more naughty! Sorry!

This white chocolate cheesecake is Paleo but it’s also fully vegan! If you are a raw foodie then you could skip the caramel altogether and just put the 3 tsp moringa in the chocolate filling itself! This cheesecake tastes silky smooth, refreshing and well a little bit rich at the same time (confusing huh?). It’s not too grassy tasting and the bitterness of the moringa just helps it to not be that little bit too sickly. Nom nom nom!!!

 

Makes: 10-12 slices

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the base:

100g macadamia nuts
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp maple syrup

For the white chocolate filling:

1/2 cup coconut oil
50g cacao butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut sugar
250g/2 cups cashews (soaked overnight or min. 4 hours)
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Juice 1 lemon (you can lower the amount of lemon juice if you want a creamier cheesecake)
1 peeled courgette (cubed)

For the moringa caramel:

1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp Aduna moringa powder

Method:

1.  For the base, combine all of the ingredients and process until a sandy texture (have a nibble, if it reminds you of biscuit crimbs it’s done!).
2. Line a 9″ springform or loose base tin. Pour in the base mixture and ‘knuckle’ it in until evenly distributed. Place in the freezer until later.
3. For the white chocolate filling place the coconut oil, cacao butter, maple syrup and coconut sugar over a bain-marie until fully melted. This could take from around 5 to 15 minutes.  You could grate the cacao butter but I think this is equally as time consuming.
4. Meanwhile, place the rest of the ingredients into the food processor, except for the courgette, and process until smooth.
5. Next get started on your moringa caramel. Place all of your ingredients except for the moringa in a small pan and bring to the boil, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat so that the mix is on a light boil and leave to reduce to a consistency similar to that of condensed milk. This will probably take about 10 minutes in total. Remove from the heat, give a quick whisk and place in the freezer immediately.
6. Remove your ‘white chocolate’ mix from the bain-marie and combine with the rest of the white chocolate filling.  Process until smooth.
7. To your white chocolate filling add in your peeled and cubed courgette. Blend until smooth and fluffy.
8. Remove your base from the freezer and pour in half of your white chocolate filling, spreading evenly with a spatula.
9. Remove your caramel from the freezer and immediately whisk in your moringa powder.
10. Pour the moringa caramel over the top of the cheesecake and using a small spatula dip in and swirl around the filling. This will give you your marbling effect! I tried to draw tree like shapes in mine so go wild and see what you can do!
11. Place your cheesecake into the freezer until set.
12. Slice and serve!!! Yummy yummy scrummy in your tummy! (Not mine i’ve eaten mine already!)

 

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Keep your eyes peeled for my Aduna Baobab recipe and my full brand review too! Tried Aduna products? Why not drop a quick comment and share your experience!