I Can't Believe It's Not Cheesecake! (Run, Fabio, Run!)

Mmmmm. Baked cheesecake. *drools* One of the great struggles I had with becoming vegan was the thought of not having this delight in my life. But, thanks to an inspirational recipe from (where is it from, kids? That’s right!) vegweb, by Amy, I found my cheesecake groove. I’ve adapted this recipe quite a lot, and found a really good standard recipe (at least I think it is!!)

The only issue I have with this cheesecake is that, whilst it is baked, and has the taste of baked cheesecake, the consistency is of a chilled cheesecake – quite soft and custardy. I don’t really mind, but over time I’m hoping to adapt this recipe further to get that baked consistency.

In the meantime, this is awesome – and relatively easy to make. It takes time, but it’s really worth it.

(My apologies for the quality of the photographs – it was New Year’s Eve, I was in a hurry to eat it, and the champagne I’d consumed probably didn’t help my photography skills!! I’ll post some more photographs the next time I make it!)

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Cheesecake!

Ingredients

Crust

1 and ¼ cups biscuit crumbs (I use McVitie's Digestives, because they're not very sweet)
1 - 2 tablespoons muscovado or other dry sweetener
1/4 cup melted Nuttelex

Cheesecake Batter

1 x 300g packet silken tofu, carefully drained
2 tubs Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/4 cup lemon/lime juice
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 to 1/2 cup muscovado or other dry sweetener
2 tablespoons custard powder (I use Orgran Custard Mix [scroll down on the link])

Method

Crust

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.

In a food processor, grind the biscuits to form crumbs. Slowly add the sweetener and the melted Nuttelex, to form a crumbly mix that stays together when pressed between the fingers.

Press this mix into a greased springform pan, to form a crust along the bottom and up the sides. Put into the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.


Cheesecake Batter

Put the Better Than Cream Cheese and the tofu into the food processor, and blend together. Add the juice, applesauce, and sweetener, and blend until well combined. Finally, add the custard powder and blend until very smooth.


Pour the batter into the cooled crust, and put in the preheated oven. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes - make sure to turn it at least once to allow for even cooking. Turn off oven when the cheesecake is done, and leave the cheesecake in for another 15 minutes.

When done, the top will crack, and the batter will pull away from the sides. The centre will still be a little wobbly, but this will firm up when the cheesecake is cooled.

Allow the cheesecake to cool for about an hour at room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least three hours. Keep refrigerated.

The last time I made this, I served it drenched with a raspberry sauce.

Over the Top Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients

1 packet frozen raspberries
1 - 2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 cup mix of lemon and orange juice, and water
1 tablespoon arrowroot

Method

Stir the arrowroot and the 1 cup mix of liquid together and pour into a saucepan. Put the saucepan on a medium high heat and stir the mix constantly until it begins to thicken. Add the agave nectar and a quarter of the raspberries. Stir constantly until completely thickened. Add the remaining raspberries, stir through thoroughly, and then allow to cool.

When both the cheesecake and the sauce are cool, pour over the cheesecake. Leave for an hour in the refrigerator to allow the sauce to set slightly.

Warning: Will dribble everywhere!!