At the risk of turning my site into a food blog, I made a plant-based cheesecake over the holidays that made me really proud.
I was inspired by an almond cream cheese crafted by a company by the name of Kite Hill that I discovered one day while browsing YouTube. Somehow I happened upon a “what we do/who we are” video of the company and it was humble enough to inspire me to try their product. One day, I found it at Whole-paycheque and it changed my life. It is so ridiculously (and concerningly) similar to actual cream cheese that I often thought, “I wonder if I can make a cheesecake with this?”
So I did.
And I have to say, the cake came out really good. My family, including brother unlucky who loves real cheesecake, thoroughly enjoyed it. The texture was literally perfect, as was the crust, and the taste was almost too similar to the real deal.
But I used a bunch of different recipes to create the final product, so I decided to just put it all together here on my site, both for you all to access and for me to have in one place! I have made it two times now, with one or two minor adjustments just for experimental purposes, and the second one came out even better than the first. I’m no baker, but I have to say, I am excited to continue experimenting and maybe one day sell it at a Farmer’s market like my coworker suggested. But for now, here is the recipe I used! Enjoy 🙂
PS. I got a Springform pan for my second try and it was my best idea yet.
Blueberry no-cheese cake
Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pitted dates
Filling:
16 ounces of Kite Hill almond cream cheese (room temperature)
2/3 cup pure cane sugar
1 cup cashew sour cream (ingredients below)
3 flax eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut milk
Toppings:
Blueberries and/or strawberries
Water
Directions:
- Pre-preparations: Soak 1 cup of raw unsalted cashews in boiling water before beginning anything else. Try to soak them for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better.
- Next, you will want to make your flax eggs so they have time to sit and thicken. For this you need 1 tbsp of flax per 2 tbsp water. Hence, for 3 flax eggs, 3 tbsp of flax and 6 tbsp water.
- To make the crust, put dates and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Spread the crust in the baking pan and then add a little oil. (I like the subtle flavour of grapeseed.) This crust does not need to pre-bake.
- Preheat the oven to 325.
- For the filling, put the cream cheese in a bowl and mix it until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Next you’re going to need the sour cream. For this, you will need your raw cashews that have been soaking. Drain the cashews and put in a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1.5 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, and juice from 1 small lemon. Pulse until smooth. This should yield exactly 1 cup of cream, as the mixture calls for. Add this to your cheesecake mix.
- Next you will need your flax eggs, vanilla, and coconut milk. The coconut milk subs for the heavy cream in regular cheesecake, so make sure you use as much full cream as possible. (You’ll want to stay away from “light” coconut milk, and if you could make your own even better.)
- Mix everything until smooth and even and then pour your mixture into the pan and bake for around 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the mixture still jiggles slightly.
- While it is baking, heat your berries in a small pot with just enough water to cover it. Keep an eye on the mix so it doesn’t burn, and turn it off once it becomes as thick as you desire.
- When finished, put both the cheesecake and the topping, separately, into the refrigerator overnight. Serve cold and enjoy.
Let me know what you think!
