Avocado and Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Every so often, someone on the team throws down a challenge, and this time it was because they had heard about National Avocado Day, and because they love avocados, in any format. I’ll be honest, my first thought was “how on earth do I get an avocado anywhere near a cake and make it work?” But that’s half the fun of these challenges, isn’t it, being pushed to do something you wouldn’t ordinarily try. There are a lot of chocolate and avocado mousse recipes online, but I needed a recipe I could slice, to be able to include in our vegan cake selection at our cafe, Chocolate & Co, and a mousse wouldn’t work.

The good news about this recipe, is this one is quick, easy, doesn’t call for a long list of obscure ingredients, and it’s completely vegan, so it ticks a lot of boxes at once. I made it, popped it in the fridge to set, and then did what I always do with a new recipe, cut a slice into bite size pieces for the team to try, because there’s no feedback quite as honest as a room full of chocolate lovers with a fork each.

And honest it certainly was. One of the team summed it up perfectly: “my brain is struggling to connect avocado with chocolate in the same taste.” I completely understood where she was coming from. Was it nice? Genuinely, yes. Could you taste the avocado? Also yes. There’s a definite vegetable note underneath the chocolate that you can’t quite hide. Would I make it again? If I’m being truthful, probably not, but I’m not on a plant-based diet myself, so I suspect I’m judging it from entirely the wrong angle.

If you are following a plant-based diet, or you simply love a bit of kitchen experimentation, I’d say it’s absolutely worth a try. It’s flavoursome, it comes together with very little fuss, and it uses our 60% Classic Dark Chocolate Buttons to give it a proper rich, chocolatey backbone. Just go in with an open mind, and maybe a slightly adventurous palate! I finished mine with blueberries and strawberries to add a little more sweetness, but you could use Oreo cookie crumb, dark chocolate flakes, whatever appeals to you, just have some fun. Keep the cheesecake covered in the fridge, where it will happily keep for up to 3 days. As with most cheesecakes though, it’s best enjoyed within the first day or two while the base is still lovely and crisp.

Ingredients

For the base:

• 550g digestive and Oreo biscuit mix, crushed
• 200g Stork margarine, melted

For the filling:

• 2 large ripe avocados, peeled and
• 225g plant-based cream cheese (we used Violife)
• 75g cocoa powder
• 100g icing sugar
• 100g maple syrup
• 100g Choc Affair 60% Classic Dark Chocolate Buttons, melted and slightly cooled
• 60g plant-based cream (we used Flora)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Toppings of your choice 

Method

1. Line a 20cm springform tin with parchment paper.
2. Crush the biscuits (a food processor makes light work of this, or bash them in a bag if you fancy taking out some frustration), then mix in the melted Stork margarine until well combined.
3. Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the base of the springform tin, and pop it in the fridge to set while you make the filling.
4. Blend the avocado until completely smooth with no lumps, a hand blender works brilliantly for this, or a food mixer if you have one to hand.
5. Add the plant-based cream cheese, cocoa powder, icing sugar, maple syrup, melted dark chocolate, plant-based cream and vanilla extract to the avocado, and blend or mix well until you have a smooth, silky filling with no lumps left.
6. Pour the filling over the chilled biscuit base and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
7. Chill in the fridge for 2 – 4 hours, or until fully set, before decorating, slicing and serving.

Top Tips

• Use avocados that are properly ripe, they should give slightly when pressed. Underripe avocado will be harder to blend smooth and won’t bring that lovely creaminess to the filling.
• Blend/beat the avocado on its own first before adding the other ingredients. It genuinely makes a difference to how smooth your final filling turns out.
• Let the melted chocolate cool slightly before adding it to the mixture, otherwise it can seize or make the filling go a bit grainy.

A Few Honest FAQs

Do you actually taste the avocado? Yes, if we’re being truthful. The chocolate and maple syrup do a good job of softening it, but there’s a definite vegetable note underneath that avocado lovers will probably enjoy and everyone else will definitely notice.

Is this a good recipe for avocado skeptics? Possibly not the best starting point! If you’re not already a fan of avocado, this might not be the recipe that converts you. But if you like avocado and love chocolate, it’s well worth a try.

Can I use regular cream cheese and cream instead of plant-based versions? You can, if keeping it vegan isn’t a priority for you. Simply swap in your usual cream cheese, cream and butter in place of the plant-based versions and margarine.