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Cheesecake.
It's always been my favourite dessert, ever since my non-vegan days,
scoffing half a Sara Lee!
When I became vegan, cheesecake was one of the first recipes I sought
out. The first recipe I followed was from "The Cake Scoffer", and
used tofu and a whole tub of ice cream!
These days I like to flick between raw "cheesecakes" made with
whole foods such as cashew nuts and coconut oil, and naughtier cheesecakes
made with Tofutti cream cheese.
The recipe I'm sharing falls into the latter category.
Behold...Coffee and walnut cheese-less cake!
A "buttery" biscuit base, topped with a sophisticated creamy
cappuccino cream cheese topping (which is lightened up slightly by subbing some
cream cheese for silken tofu).
I have to stop for a moment to credit my dad for the flavour
combination of this cheesecake, as it was his request!
Ingredients notes:
-The "cream cheese" I use is Tofutti Creamy Smooth, which can
be bought from most health food shops, or online from Goodness Direct.
-The egg replacer powder I use is Ener-g; others may
work, as may cornflour (cornstarch), but I haven't tried!
-For this recipe you need vacuum packed silken tofu (it’s sold near the
canned beans in most supermarkets, and is made by a company called “mori-nu”).
-The walnuts are optional, as is the whipped cream (but I think it makes
it extra special!)
-I used a carton of Soyatoo whipping cream, (available here) but you
could also make your own whipped coconut cream (instructions follow).
Recipe
Makes one 9" cake. You can half the recipe to make a 6"
or 7" cake.
You will need:
- Food processor
- 9" spring form pan
Ingredients:
For the base
- 400g vegan digestive biscuits
- 200g vegan margarine
For the
cream cheese topping
- 2 packs Tofutti creamy smooth
- 1 carton Mori-nu silken tofu (firm)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 and half teaspoons Ener-g
egg replacer powder
- 6 tablespoons water
- 3-4 tablespoons espresso powder
- 225g sugar
- Another 1 tablespoon plus 1 and half teaspoons
egg replacer powder
- Another 6 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional extras:
- 100g walnut halves
- Carton soyatoo whipped cream (refrigerated) or
- Coconut whipped cream, made using 1 can
coconut milk, refrigerated, or 1 carton coconut cream refrigerated plus
2-3 tablespoons icing sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 175 C. Place a dish of boiling water on the
bottom of the oven (the extra humidity helps stop cracks forming on the
cheesecake.)
2. Line a 9" spring firm pan with baking paper (and ideally wrap the tin in brown paper, too).
3. To make the base... smash the digestive biscuits into
crumbs with a rolling pin (or use a food processor).
Melt margarine in a saucepan or in a bowl in the
microwave. Add biscuit crumbs and stir well.
Tip the mixture into the base of the cake pan, and
press in using either the bottom of a glass or the end of a rolling pin. Refrigerate until
needed.
4. To make the topping.
In a small bowl whisk the first batch of egg
replacer powder with 6 tablespoons of water. (Preferably using a handheld
electric mixer). Add 3-4 tablespoons espresso powder, (depending on
how strong you'd like the coffee flavour). Beat until the mixture is frothy.
3. Drain the tofu and add to a food processor along with the cream cheese, sugar and egg replacer mixture.
Blend until the mixture is smooth, stopping the blender now and then to
scrape down the sides with a spatula (to make sure all the cream cheese gets
blended in).
4. Whisk second lot of egg replacer with water as before and add to food processor along with the vanilla extract. Blend again until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour mixture over the biscuit base, and smooth
it out with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until
the cheesecake looks “almost set”, but the middle is still a little
wobbly!
Turn the oven off, and leave the cake in the oven for an extra 10
minutes.
6. Remove tin from oven, and place on a cooling rack. Once the tin
is cool (may take an hour or so!) place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours,
or preferably overnight.
For the creamy soyatoo topping:
-Whip the Soyatoo cream at full speed for 2 mins, then refrigerate for
at least an hour before piping onto your cake.
For coconut whipped cream:
Remove can of coconut milk from the refrigerator. The creamy part
of the milk will have separated and turned solid in the can. Carefully scoop
this out of the can and into a bowl. (or use entire contents of a carton of
coconut cream).
Add icing sugar and beat with a hand blender for 2 or 3 minutes until
thick and creamy.
Refrigerate for at least an hour, before piping onto your cake.
7. Once cheesecake has been refrigerated for at least 4 hours,
remove from tin, and pipe on the whipped cream (if using). Add optional
walnut halves.
8. Take lots of photos of your masterpiece!
(if you're a fellow Instagrammer, tag me @psitsvegan!)
Enjoy!
