I’ve been wanting to make a traditional cheesecake for a while.
And because classics never go out of fashion, and are always highly appreciated, I needed to bring you a 100% plant-based version of this iconic and much-loved dessert!
It could have been made with a bolder topping, with exotic fruits, or even a fancy creamy topping, but who can resist to a berry cheesecake? As I’ve always heard, do not change a winning team.
This cheesecake with berries recipe was specially designed to pair perfectly with Dow´s Crusted 2013 Port Wine, a port with notes of wild berries, currants, cassis and red cherries, which made tasting this dessert even more incredible. !
It’s funny how knowing how to pair food and drink well enhances each other’s best features.
EASY | CREAMY | ELEGANT
This cheesecake might look very complicated, but don’t be fooled, it’s super easy to make!
The base only takes 3 ingredients, biscuit, butter and raw cocoa powder. I chose to use sugar-free digestive biscuits, because I didn’t want the flavor of the base to overpower the flavor of the filling, cheesecakes are often heavy and cloying because the base is extremely sweet. In addition, I added a little bit of raw cocoa powder, not because I wanted the base to taste like chocolate, but because I wanted to bring a more sober and elegant flavor to it. The butter is obviously vegan, and I used it unsalted.
For the cheesecake filling I used vegan cream cheese, silken tofu, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and vanilla extract, I ground everything in a food processor or blender until creamy.
The topping is a simple reduction of frozen berries with orange juice and a little sugar, which is then crushed and strained until get a smooth and uniform cream. Finish later with fresh berries of your choice.
This cheesecake goes into the oven in bain-marie and stays there for one hour at 180ºC. (base and filling)
Before serving it is mandatory that it cools down completely, until its texture is firm.
And that’s it, believe me when I tell you that this recipe is really simple to make and that you’ll really want to try it!
FOR THE BASE:
185gr of sugar-free digestive biscuits
85gr of melted unsalted vegan butter
2 tsp raw cocoa powder
FOR THE FILLING
400g of vegan cream cheese
300g of silken tofu
100gr of sugar
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 tsp of vanilla extract
3 tbsp of corn starch
FOR THE TOPPING
400g of frozen wild berries
Juice of 1 orange
3 tbsp of sugar
TO DECORATE
Fresh berries of choice
FOR THE BASE:
185gr of sugar-free digestive biscuits
85gr of melted unsalted vegan butter
2 tsp raw cocoa powder
FOR THE FILLING
400g of vegan cream cheese
300g of silken tofu
100gr of sugar
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 tsp of vanilla extract
3 tbsp of corn starch
FOR THE TOPPING
400g of frozen wild berries
Juice of 1 orange
3 tbsp of sugar
TO DECORATE
Fresh berries of choice
1- Preheat the oven to 180ºC;
2- In a food processor, grind the cookies until they are powder;
3- Melt the butter in the microwave;
4- Place the biscuits, butter and cocoa in a container and mix with your hands until you form a dough. If it happens to be too dry and crumbly, add a little more butter.
5- In a cake pan with removable bottom, line the bottom with parchment paper, and place all the base dough inside the pan. Press with your hands or with the help of a the bottom of a glass until you have a cohesive and leveled base. Take it to the oven for 10 minutes.
6- Meanwhile, place all the filling ingredients in a food processor and grind until you get a smooth, lump-free cream.
7- Remove the pan with the base of the cheesecake from the oven, and pour the filling on top. Gently tap the pan on the worksurface or table to release any air bubbles that may exist. Cover the outside of the mold with aluminum foil so that water cannot enter through the base.
8- In a larger pan, pour water up to half and then place the pan with the cheesecake inside. Carefully put it in the oven to bake in bain-marie for 1 hour.
9- Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the topping in a skillet and let it reduce, stirring occasionally. When the fruits are practically undone, remove them from the skillet, place them in a bowl and crush them with a hand blender. Then, using a small sieve, strain the entire reduction to obtain a smooth cream, without seeds or any kind of lumps. Reserve.
10- After an hour, turn off the oven, open the door, and let the cheesecake cool down for 30 minutes inside the oven.
11- Then remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely before unmolding.
12- When serving, cover the surface with the berry reduction and finish with fresh berries.
13- To make the experience perfect, enjoy the cheesecake with a glass of Dow´s Crusted 2013 Port Wine.
1- Preheat the oven to 180ºC;
2- In a food processor, grind the cookies until they are powder;
3- Melt the butter in the microwave;
4- Place the biscuits, butter and cocoa in a container and mix with your hands until you form a dough. If it happens to be too dry and crumbly, add a little more butter.
5- In a cake pan with removable bottom, line the bottom with parchment paper, and place all the base dough inside the pan. Press with your hands or with the help of a the bottom of a glass until you have a cohesive and leveled base. Take it to the oven for 10 minutes.
6- Meanwhile, place all the filling ingredients in a food processor and grind until you get a smooth, lump-free cream.
7- Remove the pan with the base of the cheesecake from the oven, and pour the filling on top. Gently tap the pan on the worksurface or table to release any air bubbles that may exist. Cover the outside of the mold with aluminum foil so that water cannot enter through the base.
8- In a larger pan, pour water up to half and then place the pan with the cheesecake inside. Carefully put it in the oven to bake in bain-marie for 1 hour.
9- Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the topping in a skillet and let it reduce, stirring occasionally. When the fruits are practically undone, remove them from the skillet, place them in a bowl and crush them with a hand blender. Then, using a small sieve, strain the entire reduction to obtain a smooth cream, without seeds or any kind of lumps. Reserve.
10- After an hour, turn off the oven, open the door, and let the cheesecake cool down for 30 minutes inside the oven.
11- Then remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely before unmolding.
12- When serving, cover the surface with the berry reduction and finish with fresh berries.
13- To make the experience perfect, enjoy the cheesecake with a glass of Dow´s Crusted 2013 Port Wine.
*This recipe was supported by School of Port.
*If you want to know more about vegan friendly Port wines: HOW TO FIND VEGAN PORT
*This recipe was supported by School of Port.
*If you want to know more about vegan friendly Port wines: HOW TO FIND VEGAN PORT
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Tag @things_about_a_vegan_girl on instagram and hashtag it #thingsaboutavegangirl so we can see all the masterpiece you made!!!
Tag @things_about_a_vegan_girl on instagram and hashtag it #thingsaboutavegangirl so we can see all the masterpiece you made!!!