For several months, I have been cooking regularly for yoga retreats, including in Ibiza. For a Spanish dinner, I was looking for a local dessert and found Flaó de Ibiza, a traditional and very tasty cheesecake made with the local herbal liquor Hierbas de Ibiza. The dessert tastes wonderfully fresh thanks to mint and sweet and spicy thanks to aniseed and the herbal liqueur.
The somewhat different cheesecake
Flaó de Ibiza has its roots in Arabic and Catalan cuisine. It used to be enjoyed during Easter week only. Since it tastes very delicious, it is now baked all year round. I discovered it as a regional specialty when I was asked during a yoga retreat if I could cook a vegan, Spanish evening?
Since this yoga retreat took place on Ibiza, I was looking for typical island desserts. The ingredients and the diverse flavor components of Flaó de Ibiza convinced me and I set about veganizing the recipe. My vegan cheesecake with aniseed and mint uses the local herbal liqueur Hierbas de Ibiza. This is produced differently depending on the manufacturer. Using an ancient basic recipe, it always has aniseed and various herbs from the island as ingredients. These include thyme, rosemary, lavender, oregano, eucalyptus, and many more. The abundance of different aromas enriches the anise and gives the liqueur a diverse range of tastes.
For the vegan cheesecake with aniseed and mint, you can naturally use another herbal liqueur.
Another important ingredient is vegan cream cheese. Be sure to look for good quality that contains few additives, little salt and definitely no herbs. In this way, the cream cheese can play its part in making the vegan cheesecake a success, while aniseed and fresh mint make it wonderfully flavorful and refreshing.
Traditional recipes, modern ways
I really enjoy cooking vegan meals in various yoga retreats and spoiling the participants with fine meals. Since the retreats take place at different locations, I always get to know local recipes that I can use as a basis for my vegan cooking.
Have a look at my retreats page, where you can see when and where I take care of the vegan culinary well-being. My Instagramm page shows you what I’m currently doing and where my blue caddy is on the move.
If you are planning an event or a retreat and are looking for a cook for vegan dishes, I look forward to hearing from you.
Flaó de Ibiza – vegan cheesecake with aniseed and mint
Equipment
- 1 round cake mold 26cm Ø
Ingredients
- 1 round pastry dough 33cm Ø
- 300 g vegan cream cheese
- 150 g cashews
- 250 g soy yogurt
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 175 g agave syrup
- 80 g corn starch
- 2-3 Tbsp aniseed and herbs liquor A liquor called Hierbas de Ibiza
- 2 Tbsp aniseeds
- 4 stems of mint
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over the cashew nuts and let them soak for 30 minutes. Then pour off the water.
- Finely puree all the ingredients for the cheesecake layer, except the mint leaves, in a stand mixer or alternatively with a hand blender in a tall container.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius convection.
- Meanwhile, pluck the mint leaves from the stalks and cut them into fine strips.
- Then add to the cheesecake layer and mix again briefly.
- Place the cake batter in the springform pan and press down the edges if necessary. The pastry base should have a border of about 5 cm. Prick the bottom with a fork. Empty the cheesecake filling onto the dough base.
- Bake the cheesecake at 180 degrees for 35-45 minutes. The edges of the crust should be lightly browned and the top of the cheesecake filling should be lightly browned as well.
- Garnish with fresh mint leaves, serve cold or warm and enjoy 🙂
