Strawberry and Chocolate Cheesecake

Making the base: 

1. Place the almonds into the food processor and pulse a few times to break down.
2. Add in the oats and dates and blend until everything is broken down. 
3. If your dates are soft, the mix will start to form a dough.If not, add a tablespoon or two of water to bring it together. 
4. Press the dough onto the base of the cake tin, spreading it out with your hands to make a flat, even crust. Place the tin in the freezer whilst you make the filling. 

Making the filling: 

1. Wash the food processor bowl. Add the strawberries, dairy-free cream, vanilla essence, maple syrup, cornflour and agar agar. 
2. Blend until smooth and then pour the mix into a saucepan over a medium heat and gently bring it to just boiling point, mixing with a whisk. 
3. Continue to simmer for five minutes until the mix starts to coat the whisk. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. 
4. Take the base out of the freezer and pour the strawberry filling mix into the tin, then pop it back in the freezer for one hour to set. 
5. After one hour, remove from the freezer and place in the fridge for an hour to help finish setting it.

Making the chocolate layer: 

1. Add the vanilla essence, maple syrup and cacao powder together in a small bowl and mix hard to combine. It takes a couple of minutes of hard stirring to bring it together into a thick paste. If the paste is too thick, add a little water. You need it to be spreadable – jam consistency.  
2. Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and carefully spread the chocolate layer over the top. There is enough for a thin layer as it’s intense so you don’t need much. 
3. Decorate with additional strawberries or raspberries and place back in the fridge 

To serve: 

1. Gently run a sharp knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the side of the tin. Push the bottom of the tin up and away from the sides but leave the cheesecake on the base. Cut into slices and serve.