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    Home » All Desserts » Cheesecakes

    Published: May 30, 2016 · Modified: Jan 21, 2022 by Anthea

    Chai and pumpkin (almost) raw cheesecake

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    5 from 5 votes

    Easy vegan pumpkin chai cheesecake which is healthy, is gluten free and has no refined sugar.

    chai pumpkin raw vegan cake 1

    To be honest, I've recently felt very conflicted with my cake business.

    Due to the privatized nature of cake businesses, I haven't published the recipes of any of my raw cheesecakes. However, this clashes with my love for food blogging and sharing recipes with others.

    I love allowing others to enjoy the same foods that I enjoy in my own kitchen. I love seeing other people get excited about being able to recreate my treats.

    However, I'm breaking the rules this time. I made a cheesecake as a much-needed treat for myself and I am going to share the recipe with you!

    chai pumpkin raw vegan cake 3

    It's quickly cooling down in Australia, so it only made sense for me to make a cake inspired by Autumn/Winter. If you love pumpkin soup and creamy chai drinks, you will love this cake!

    I used a special Indian Masala Chai tea blend from a local tea company. The blend contained blend contains cinnamon, star anise, clove, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds and nutmeg (everything is organic except the star anise). According to LiveStrong, cinnamon helps reduce blood-sugar levels and has powerful anti-bacterial properties. Star anise has similar benefits and nd also acts as an antioxidant which is great for the cooling weather!

    chai pumpkin cake tea

    After all, no one wants a cranky person making their cakes!

    chai pumpkin cake process

    I paired the chai flavor with pumpkin to give it some extra robustness and depth. Plus, it makes complete sense to pair a wintery drink with a wintery vegetable. The base is crunchy and gluten free. The cake has 2 creamy layers of spiced pumpkin cheesecake and chai cheesecake.

    chai pumpkin raw vegan cake 5

    The decorations look like a pixie's playground (just how I like it). However, they are all mysteriously carefully spiced to complement the chai flavor of the cheesecake.

    The cake is topped with whipped cinnamon coconut cream, blueberry cheesecake swirls lightly spiced with ginger, colorful bliss balls spiced like gingerbread and a chai tahini caramel. The cake is colorful and playful yet reminiscent of a warm chai tea or a warm hug in Australia's cooling weather.

    If you make this cake, you definitely don't need to have all of these toppings. I'd suggest just doing a couple of them or using anything in your pantry. You don't even need decorations! Either way, just enjoy it and remember to do lots of taste testing ;).

    chai pumpkin raw vegan cake 6

    Did I say how beautifully creamy it was?

    chai pumpkin raw vegan cake 7
    Print Recipe
    5 from 5 votes

    Chai and pumpkin (almost) raw cheesecake

    Easy vegan pumpkin chai cheesecake which is healthy, is gluten free and has no refined sugar.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Servings: 6
    Author: Anthea

    Ingredients

    Pumpkin cheesecake layer

    • ½ – ¾ cup pumpkin, chopped into small cubes
    • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
    • ¼ cup thick scoopable canned coconut cream
    • ⅛ cup maple syrup
    • 2 tablespoon coconut butter
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or to taste
    • 2 teaspoons ground ginger, or to taste

    Base

    • ⅓ cup dates, soaked in water overnight
    • ¾ cup mixture of any nuts, seeds or coconut
    • 1 tsp chai tea leaves, + ⅛ cup water
    • Pinch any good quality salt

    Chai cheesecake layer

    • 1 cup cashews, soaked in water overnight
    • 1 tsp chai tea leaves, + ⅛ cup plant-based milk
    • ⅓ cup thick scoopable canned coconut cream
    • ⅛ cup maple syrup
    • 2 tbsp coconut butter
    • 2 tbsp lemon juice

    Optional toppings

    • ¼ cup Whipped dairy free cream
    • Bliss balls, caramel, chocolate, nuts, or as desired

    Instructions

    The night before:

    • Soak the dates (for the base) and the cashews (for the pumpkin and chai layers) in enough water to cover. Steep the chai leaves in water (for the base) and in coconut milk (for the chai cheesecake later). Store in fridge.

    To prepare the pumpkin puree:

    • Preheat oven to 200C. Line a baking tray and 14cm cake tin with baking paper.
    • Spread the pumpkin on the lined baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or the pumpkin has turned golden brown and reduced in size.

    To make the cheesecake base:

    • Drain the dates and strain the chai leaves and water reserving the water. Add all ingredients to a food processor and whizz until combined. Press evenly into the bottom of the cake tin.

    To make the chai cheesecake layer

    • Drain and rinse the cashews. Strain the coconut milk and chai leaves reserving the milk. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until extremely creamy. Remove and set aside.

    For the pumpkin cheesecake layer:

    • Drain the cashews. When the pumpkin has cooled, add all ingredients to a food processor. Blend until extremely creamy and pour onto the cheesecake base. Smooth the top and put in the freezer to set.
    • When the pumpkin layer has partially set, pour the chai cheesecake into the cake tin. Smooth the top of the cake and put in freezer to set.
    • Decorate the cake as desired and serve!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 serve | Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 42g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 601mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 829IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 5mg
    Did you Make this Recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @rainbownourishments on Instagram and hashtag #rainbownourishments!

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Julia says

      January 20, 2023 at 5:49 am

      Fantastic colours! I am in love with it!

      What is a bliss ball? What is it made of?

      Reply
      • Anthea says

        January 20, 2023 at 4:39 pm

        Hi Julia, thank you! A bliss ball is usually made of a sticky sweetener such as dates or maple syrup and a mixture of ground nuts, seeds or coconut :).

        Reply
        • Julia says

          January 21, 2023 at 2:13 am

          5 stars
          Thank you Anthea for the prompt reply! I got it! I saw your stunning cheesecake a year ago but it's still in my mind! Stunning!

    2. Mimi says

      August 20, 2019 at 2:18 am

      Hi there! This look amazing cake. I wonder, any other substitute for coconut cream and coconut butter. The smell of coconut is too strong for me.
      Thanks ?

      Reply
      • Anthea says

        August 21, 2019 at 7:06 pm

        Aw thank you! Substituting coconut cream and coconut butter is a little difficult for this recipe. You can substitute the cream with medium-firm tofu and coconut butter for cacao butter. However, cacao butter has a strong taste and is very expensive. Also, you would have to put more cacao butter as tofu has less fat than coconut cream. To avoid coconut, here is a better recipe for you: https://rainbownourishments.com/creamy-mango-passionfruit-bars/

        Reply
    3. Leanne Chalkley says

      July 04, 2019 at 6:53 pm

      Oh I wonder if Turkish delight would go with this!

      Reply
      • Anthea says

        July 05, 2019 at 6:55 pm

        Yes, I don't see why not!

        Reply
    4. Leanne Chalkley says

      July 03, 2019 at 10:06 pm

      5 stars
      This looks amazing! What are the little pink bits between the blueberry chai cheesecake frosting, editable flowers, broken bliss ball?

      Where abouts are you in Brisbane so we can buy your cakes?

      Reply
      • Anthea says

        July 05, 2019 at 6:58 pm

        Thanks Leanne! The little pink bits are indeed broken bliss balls!

        Unfortunately I closed down my cake business, which you can read about here. I'm also not based in Brisbane (I'm based in Canberra but went to Brisbane for work a few years ago). However, there are many fantastic cake business owners in Brissy so I hope you find something delicious!

        Reply
    5. Devon Devine says

      November 21, 2018 at 1:10 pm

      HELLO! Ummm I love everything you do and will be attempting this recipe tomorrow for Thanksgiving here in America! Thank you SO much for putting it up. I was wondering though, do I need to thaw it at all before serving or just serve it straight outta the freezer?

      Reply
      • Anthea says

        November 21, 2018 at 1:15 pm

        Aw, thanks for your comment! Ideally you'd thaw it before serving it but I think it can be eaten half frozen like many other cheesecakes (I haven't tried it with this one but I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work).

        Reply
    6. Giulia says

      September 18, 2017 at 9:43 pm

      5 stars
      Beautiful!!! I live in Italy: your cake is asbolutely amazing!! Love love love

      Reply
      • Anthea says

        October 10, 2017 at 10:01 pm

        Aw, thank you so much lovely xo

        Reply
    7. Lorena says

      April 16, 2017 at 12:02 am

      5 stars
      Hello!!
      I'm new in raw baking/cooking and I was looking for a pumpkin cake and when i sow your, I just fall in love!!! They look amazing!! The taste must be incredible!!
      I just wanted to say thank you for your time and sharing your knowledge.
      I'm gonna definitely try this recipe and I'll let you know how it looks/tastes.
      A big hug from your new follower from Mallorca, Spain!!

      Reply
      • Anthea says

        April 24, 2017 at 5:11 pm

        Hi Lorena! Thanks for your comment and kind words 🙂 I hope you enjoy making this recipe - I love pumpkin and it was delicious and I hope you enjoy eating it too. Much love xo

        Reply
    8. Joy says

      September 21, 2016 at 6:11 am

      This is stunning! I am sad that I live in Toronto and cannot try your cakes in person.

      Reply
      • Anthea says

        October 13, 2016 at 7:16 am

        Thank you so much Joy! I would love to travel more one day and offer my cakes to more people around the world 🙂

        Reply

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