Deconstructivism: Bauhaus Desserts

By Lenka Selinger

Photos & recipes by Lenka Selinger

Vegan No-Bake Cardamom Lime Cheesecake with Blueberries

This cake is fresh, easily prepared and suited for almost any crowd. Cardamom and lime come together with blueberries to form a surprising and irresistible flavour combination. The creamy-fresh filling is a perfect counterpart for the nutty, chocolaty base. This cake is sweetened naturally.

INGREDIENTS

For the base

• 65 g oats

• 70 g almonds

• 2 tbsp cocoa

• 10 Medjool dates

• 1 tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil

• 1/4 tsp salt

For decorating

• 250 g blueberries

• A couple of fresh mint leaves (optional)

For the filling

• 225 g cashews, soaked in water for 2-8h

• Juice and zest of an organic lime

• 80 g maple syrup

• 50 g cold-pressed coconut oil (melted)

• 1 tsp freshly ground cardamom

• A pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

For the base

I used a rectangular tin (10x34cm) which equals a round tin with a diameter of about 20cm.

1. Chop the oats and almonds in a kitchen machine until they’re ground roughly.

2. Add the other ingredients and mix until thicker chunks form when you pinch the dough between your fingers.

3. Press the dough into the bottom of your tin and around 2cm up the sides (dampen your fingers with a little water if it sticks to your fingers) and put it in the fridge to cool.

For the filling

1. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer and stir until you have a creamy, homogenous filling without chunks.

2. Add the filling to the base and quickly shake it from left to right a couple of times so it spreads all over. Then bang the tin on your kitchen counter once to eliminate any air bubbles and help the filling spread into the corners.

3. Cool for at least 2 hours. This cake can be frozen very well – simply take it out to defrost at room temperature half an hour before serving.

Before serving

Garnish with blueberries and mint (I used very little for the pictures but recommend adding more when actually eating the cake – it’s a delicious flavour combination!)

A Different Kind of Lemon Pie

A cake that surprises and will enchant you with a fresh and zesty taste of lemon.

Tip: For a lactose and gluten-free version, simply swap in the base of the red chocolate raspberry tarte. I tested both and couldn’t choose which I prefer.

INGREDIENTS

For the base

• 300 g spelt flour

• 150 g raw cane sugar

• 200 g butter

• 1/4 tsp salt

For the meringue

• 2 egg white

• 100 g raw cane sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

For the filling

• 5-6 eggs

• 150 g raw cane sugar

• 115 g spelt flour (or 60g cornflour for a glutenfree option)

• 250 ml lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)

• Zest of 3 organic lemons

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely ground

• 1 tsp turmeric

INSTRUCTIONS

For the base

1. Grease a 28cm tin with butter and pre-heat the oven to 225ºC.

2. Add flour, sugar and salt to a bowl.

3. Cut the cold butter into 1cm cubes and add it.

4. Mix the butter into the flour using your fingers. Work quickly and knead as little as possible so the base will be nice and crisp.

5. Form a ball, transfer into the greased tin and press down with your fingers.

6. Bake for 25-30min or until golden brown.

For the filling

While the dough is baking, prepare the filling:

1. Add eggs and sugar into a big bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 4-5min.

2. Peel the ginger, grate it finely and add to the eggs.

3. Add turmeric.

4. Add flour or cornflour and stir until there are no lumps left.

5. Zest the lemons and juice them. Add both to the bowl and carefully mix on the lowest setting to avoid splatters.

6. Slowly add the very liquid filling to your finished base.

7. Bake for another 20-25min at 180ºC.

8. Carefully shake the tin to check if the filling has hardened.

9. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for another 2 hours.

The meringue (optional)

1. For an extra creamy and resistant meringue, heat the egg whites and sugar in a bain-marie to 73ºC (this step can be skipped).

2. Beat at the highest setting of your mixer until the eggs are shiny and peaks stay upright (6-10 min).

3. Add vanilla extract and beat for another minute.

4. Add meringue to a (reusable) piping bag or a freezer bag with the corner snipped off to decorate the cake as you wish.

5. You can carefully toast the meringue using a kitchen torch.

Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Tarte

This tarte is easy to prepare but turns into a real eye-catcher. The chocolate filling is so intensely creamy that no one would know it is just made from chocolate and coconut milk.

Tip: You can also prepare this with the (non-vegan) base of the lemon pie.

INGREDIENTS

For the base

• 175 g oat flour (You can easily make this yourself by grinding oats in your kitchen mixer. Grinding them roughly is enough for this base.)

• 75 g ground almonds

• 150 g coconut sugar

• 100 g cold-pressed coconut oil

• 1/2 tsp salt

For the filling

• 300 g dark chocolate (at least 70%)

• 300 g coconut milk (no coconut water/ coconut drink!)

For the raspberry jam

• 125 g fresh or defrosted raspberries

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

For decorating

• Berries to your liking

INSTRUCTIONS

For the base

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC and grease a 28cm tarte or springform tin with coconut oil.

2. Add all the base ingredients into a bowl and knead with your hands. The dough will remain on the crumbly side.

3. Press the dough into your tin (base and 2cm up the sides).

4. Bake the base for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

For the filling

1. Break the chocolate into pieces and add to a pot.

2. Add coconut milk and carefully heat over low heat while stirring until the chocolate is fully melted.

3. Add the chocolate filling to the base and carefully shake the tin from left to right to get an even surface.

4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.

For the raspberry jam

1. Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and squash the raspberries with a fork.

2. Wait for 5-10 minutes until the chia seeds have soaked up liquid.

3. Pour over the cooled, hardened chocolate filling and spread to the edges using a spoon.

4. Decorate to your liking with fresh berries or fruit!