Vegan Mango Caramel Swirl Cheesecake

MANGO CARAMEL

• 1/2 cup (75g) chopped mango chunks
• 1/2 cup (165g) pure maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp (48g) raw cashew butter

FOR THE CRUST

• 1 1/2 cups (170g) pecans
• 2 tablespoons Vega “French Vanilla” All-In-One Nutritional Shake (See Notes)
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup

• Make the caramel first. Add all the “mango caramel” ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor (I used my Vitamix) and blend until completely smooth. Pour into a small pot and turn to medium heat. Once it is boiling around the edges, cover and turn down to low and let it cook 3-5 minutes until it has thickened and reduced about half. It should look similar to the photo. Don’t worry about it getting chunky, it will smooth back out. Whisk well until smooth and set aside to cool. Keep in mind it will thicken more upon cooling.

• Next make the crust in a food processor. Add the pecans, vanilla shake powder and salt and pulse until a fine meal texture. Add the syrup and pulse a few times until the mixture turns into clumps, just a few seconds. Be careful not to over-process it. Line a 6 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Press the crust on the paper flat and even and around the edges, make sure to press tightly and secure any crumbs.

• Make sure your filling ingredients are not cold, or it can make the coconut butter to seize up. Add all of the “cheesecake filling” ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor, except the coconut butter. Blend until completely smooth. SEE NOTES below on coconut butter first. Add the coconut butter to the processor and blend once more until completely smooth.

• Place your springform pan onto a flat plate before proceeding so that you are transferring the whole plate to the freezer and not just transporting the pan, which can easily bust. Pour about half the filling over the crust. Drop spoonfuls of the caramel over the top and gently swirl the caramel around with a knife, creating swirls. If the caramel has thickened up too much, just add a tiny amount of water to slightly thin it out. Pour the remaining batter over and repeat with more caramel swirls. Don’t overdo it or you will have less of a swirl effect. Make sure to reserve some for drizzling over after the cheesecake freezes. There should be plenty of caramel. Store the extra in the fridge.

• Transfer the plate with the pan to the freezer to set overnight so that it is totally solid. Doing this will ensure that you can enjoy it at room temperature the next day without it melting immediately. After freezing overnight, remove about 10-15 minutes to soften slightly before releasing the pan. Carefully release it and slide a knife around the edge if necessary. If it messes up the sides at all, just take the edge of the knife and drag it along the side of the cake and smooth it right back up. Use a super sharp knife to slice, serve and enjoy! Garnish with thinly sliced mango, if desired. Drizzle with the extra caramel. Place the cake back in the freezer after slicing, covered in plastic wrap. It will get too soft stored in the fridge, but is perfect kept in the freezer.

• PROTEIN POWDER: If you do not have this, simply sub with oat flour instead. Since the protein powder is vanilla and sweet, you may want to add 1 tablespoon sugar as well and a scant 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• COCONUT BUTTER: It is imperative that your coconut butter is properly mixed before measuring. If you are using a brand new jar, you will notice that the oil and coconut meat separate in the jars, so you will need to mix it back together. If your coconut butter is already mixed thoroughly from previous use, then no need to premelt it from a new jar, just scoop it out and weigh the 120 grams. Just place the bowl of melted chocolate onto your scale and scoop it directly in the bowl. This is what I did since I keep a container of stored coconut butter in my pantry.
• If using a new jar, you will see the coconut butter is super hard, I like to slightly warm the jar for a few seconds in the microwave, empty all of it into a separate glass container and stir until fully mixed back up. You will want to briefly heat this container, 15 seconds or so, just until soft chunks are able to be mixed thoroughly. Overheating will burn and ruin the coconut butter. Stir the chunks several times until it’s evenly mixed. Heat another 5 seconds or so, if needed. Once it’s smooth, then measure the 120 grams. If using a 1/2 cup measure instead of weight, make sure the coconut butter is melted into the liquid form before measuring, as pictured in the post.