Raw Banoffee Cheesecake

I had never heard of banoffee pie until I was in college and it was sort of a hobby to pick up a big pile of cookbooks from the library and "read" them (actually more like look at the food porn in them.  Anyways, I had picked up a pie book, and one of the pies in particular sounded pretty amazing...nanoffee pie.  I never made the pie from the cookbook, but I had always wanted to since I love bananas, caramel and cream.  This spring, a reader asked me if I could make something banoffee and I ended up making raw banoffee bars which were amazing.  So this week I happened to be paging through a dessert book for ideas banoffee pie caught my eye again.  I wanted a little break from autumn desserts, so I had to make something banoffee!

I didn't want a pie though, I wanted something a bit more grand and with more filling (because more creamy filling is ALWAYS a win in my mind).  So banoffee cheesecake it was! I made a crunchy cookie crust, then topped it off with a creamy coffee layer, then a vanilla layer as well as bananas and caramel.  I knew it was going to be amazing as I dreamed about devouring it and licked the bowls clean.

1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup soft medjool dates, pitted (soaked in water 30 minutes and drained well if not soft)

Raw Caramel:
1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted (soaked in water for 30 minutes if not soft and drained well)
2 Tbsp raw coconut butter
3 Tbsp maple syrup or raw coconut nectar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract
1-2 Tbsp filtered water

Cheesecake filling:

4 cups young coconut meat*
1 ripe banana

1/2 cup coconut water

1/2 cup raw coconut nectar or your choice of raw liquid sweetener

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract and seeds from half a vanilla bean
3/4 cup raw coconut butter (warmed to liquid)

1 Tbsp coffee extract
1 tsp raw cacao powder

about 2 cups sliced bananas

Decoration cream:
1 cup young coconut meat
2 Tbsp coconut water
1 1/2 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid

1 sliced banana for decorating

Lightly coat a 6 inch spring form removable bottom pan with coconut oil. To prepare the crust, process buckwheat, coconut, flax, and sea salt in a food processor until it is are crumbs, then add the dates and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers (if not holding together, add more dates).  Firmly press into a crust in the bottom of the prepared pan, and set aside.
To make the caramel, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

To make the filling, in a food processor combine coconut, 1 banana, coconut water, coconut nectar, sea salt vanilla and maple extract and blend until smooth and creamy. With the processor running, add the coconut butter, and process for a minute until blended. Remove the filling from the food processor and divide into 2 bowls.  Whisk the coffee extract and cacao powder into one of them.
To assemble cheesecake, place a layer of bananas over the prepared crust, then pour the coffee filling over it, then drop a few tsp of the caramel over it and swirl with a knife.  Top with a layer of sliced bananas, then the vanilla filling, then a few tbsp of caramel (swirling again).  Place the cheesecake in the freezer to firm up for about 4 hours until set before unmolding.
For the decoration cream, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter in a food processor and process until smooth.  With the motor running, add the coconut butter and oil and process a minute more.  Pour the cream into a bowl and let sit in the freezer for about half an hour to 45 minutes or so until the consistency of whipped cream then place in the fridge until ready to use. When the cake is set, decorate the top with the sliced banana and put the cream in a pastry bag and pipe decoratively around the top edge and bottom edge of the cake.
Store leftover cake in the fridge.

*If young coconut meat is unavailable, and if you do not mind the cake not being nut free, you can substitute 4 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 4 hours and drained.