Is there a way to neutralize or override coconut flavour in a vegan dish?

Question

I made a simple vegan cheesecake: coconut fat from coconut milk blended with pre-soaked raw cashews. Turned out real nice but the only thing is a strong coconut flavour.

Is there a way to neutralize it somehow?

Answer 1

Definitely not if you're getting the fat from coconut milk. Using refined coconut oil would definitely help, but getting it to blend and stay emulsified might be a challenge. Lecithin from a soy product might keep things together– I use it in place of egg to make vegan mayonnaise. All of that saturated fat is pretty tough to emulsify though. Maybe a combination of your coconut milk fat and refined coconut oil? Good luck!

Answer 2

You can neutralize the coconut flavor using a very small amount of baking soda. It works as a base to neutralize the lauric acid in the coconut, which is the "soapy" flavor mentioned in the first link below.

I tried it out and found it neutralizes the whole coconut flavor very nicely, but I recommend adding it to your recipe a very small amount at a time (1/4 teaspoon or less if possible) because if you add too much, the taste of baking soda becomes very prevalent.

Interesting reads for further details here and here