Nadiya Hussain has become more aware of her dairy intake, saying: “We need to do our bit – I know we’re not going to change the world, but if we all did our bit we can.”
This new awareness “affects how I cook and how I bake”, she says – and means there are some delicious vegan recipes in her new cookbook, like this banana ice cream cheesecake with blueberry compote. “It’s like a frozen cheesecake,” Hussain says.
Banana ice cream cheesecake with blueberry compote
Equipment
- 20cm round loose-bottom tin, 7.5cm deep
- Large frying pan
- Food processor
Ingredients
For the base
- 160 g porridge oats
- 160 g roasted whole hazelnuts
- 60 ml coconut oil plus extra for greasing the tin
- 185 g golden syrup
- a pinch of salt
For the filling
- 7 bananas chopped and frozen, about 580g
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
For the compote
- 250 g fresh blueberries or frozen
- 1/2 lemon zest and juice
- 100 g caster sugar
Method
- Start by lining and lightly greasing the base and sides of a 20cm round loose-bottom tin, 7.5cm deep.
- Make the base of the cheesecake by toasting the oats and the hazelnuts in a large frying pan on a medium heat for about five minutes until they just start to turn a golden brown, making sure to stir all the time to keep the oats moving. Pop them straight into a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Now add the coconut oil and the golden syrup, and pinch of salt, and blitz again ’til it all clumps together.
- Throw the mixture into the prepped tin and, using the back of a spoon, press into the base and 2.5cm of the sides. Leave the base to chill while you make the filling.
- Make the topping by taking out the frozen chopped bananas and adding to a food processor with the golden syrup, cinnamon and cocoa. As tempted as you might be to begin whizzing, walk away for five minutes and allow the bananas to defrost just very slightly so that they process more easily, then blitz ’til you have what looks like a soft-scoop ice cream. Quickly spoon the mixture on top of the prepped base and pop into the freezer ’til you are ready to eat.
- When you are ready to eat, make the compote by adding the blueberries, lemon zest and juice and sugar to a pan and stirring over a medium heat ’til the blueberries have just softened. This should only take a few minutes. You can make the compote well in advance and, if you do, keep it chilled in the fridge until serving.
- Take the cheesecake out of the freezer, slide it out of the cake tin and put it onto your serving dish. Add the warm compote on top and leave for just a few minutes before slicing and enjoying.
Nutrition
Nadiya Bakes by Nadiya Hussain, photography by Chris Terry, is published by Michael Joseph
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What would be the best golden syrup substitute for this recipe specifically?
Thanks in advance!