Vegan New York Style Cheesecake

I definitely have a thing for cheesecake. It started way back in high school, and never really went away. In fact, a few of my friends and I have a tradition that whenever we’re together, we eat cheesecake. While it’s sad I don’t see them often, maybe it’s a positive thing.

Since I quit dairy, it was hard to find a substitute for the decadent dessert. Somehow, even though they’re tasty, the frozen varieties never really hit the spot.

This cheesecake, however, does it for me. And it’s husband approved - which is huge, considering he is even more of a cheesecake fan than I am!

The base of this cheesecake is cashews and vegan cream cheese (I’m sorry, nut sensitive friends!). I’ve also tried it with silken tofu, but somehow I like the texture the cream cheese gets. The arrowroot powder adds to the firmness of the cake. You also are in control of how tart you want it. I’ve tested this particular recipe with both as little as 3 TBSP of lemon juice and as much as a 1/4 cup of the liquid lip pucker.

I chose not to put the strawberries on top of the entire cheesecake, as we have a non-fan of the fruit living under the roof. Considering there is only one other human living in our house besides me, I’ll let you guess who that could possibly be.

You could make any type of fruit topping. In fact, get creative! And then let me know what combinations you like best! I’ve made strawberry and blueberry so far. I can’t wait to experiment with more flavors (and I’ve even made a galactic version of this for a space-themed birthday party which was a hit.

This is seriously the best basic cheesecake.

Vegan New York Style Cheesecake

For the Crust:

• 2 cups graham crackers

• ¾ cup melted coconut oil or vegan butter

• ¼ cup maple syrup or agave

• Pinch sea salt

For the Filling:

• 8oz vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti brand)

• 1 cup refrigerated coconut cream

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes

• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (get it from Amazon here)

• ¼ c fresh lemon juice

• ¼ c Maple syrup

• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• Pinch salt

For the Strawberry Topping:

• 1 container (16 oz) of fresh strawberries, diced and a few just halved

• cane sugar

• lemon juice

• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder mixed in 2 tbsp water

what to do:

1) Preheat the oven to 350ºF

2) Prepare the crust by combining all the the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and then press into the pie pan.

3) Bake the crust for 8 minutes, until browned. Set aside to cool.

4) While the crust cools, combine all of the filing ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until a smooth mixture with no cashew chunks, scraping down the sides as deeded.

5) Pour mixture into cooled pie crust and smooth the top with a spatula.

6) Bake 40 minutes - top will be slightly browned.

7) Allow to cool completely.

8) While cake is cooling, make your fruit topping.

9) Make topping by adding the diced strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes - the strawberries will break down. Make the arrowroot powder slurry and add it to the saucepan. Stir until the sauce is thickened. Add the halved strawberries and toss to coat. Cool before serving over the cheesecake.

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Do you like cheesecake? What is your favorite topping? Let me know below!

Trying this recipe? Don’t forget to tag #MapleAlps so we can see what you’re up to! :)

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Strawberry Cream Vegan Cheesecake

Once in a while, we have a great weekend. This last weekend was one of them. Besides having some much needed social contact with some amazing people (can someone say Monopoly Deal?!), we went to a phenomenal Michael Card concert, and ate some delicious food! Our apartment also has twice the amount of fresh flowers in it as usual right now, so that makes me extra happy.

Speaking of food my husband has been bugging me for quite some time to make a vegan cheesecake, so I finally used this occasion to happily oblige. 

In the past, I've made vegan cheesecakes with a tofu base, but after realizing how much I love cashews (sorry, those with nut allergies!), I decided to try one with a cashew base.

Adding coconut cream added to the consistency and taste of it and made it so very rich and enjoyable. Seriously, as much as I love real cheesecake, it doesn't compare to this. 

The one downside of making this was the expense! Cashews and agave, even at discounted prices, are no joke when it comes to pulling out the wallet. It was definitely worth the push on our budget though. We'll just eat the leftovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner today to make up for it. That's how it works, right?

A special shout out to my awesome hand model who cut the cake! Isn't she great, folks?

I think when Summer rolls around, I'll try this again with some fresh picked berries - maybe blueberries or blackberries! Actually, I may just have to enjoy them on the side, since my husband prefers a plain cheesecake...

Strawberry Cream Vegan Cheesecake

Adapted from Minimalist Baker and Sift and Whisk

What You Need:

Crust:

• 1 cup Medjool Dates, pitted (soak if not moist)

• 1 cup walnuts

Filling:

• 3 cups cashews (soaked overnight, or in boiled water for an hour and drained)

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 1 3/4 cups coconut cream

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1 cup agave (or honey, if not vegan)

Topping (Optional):

• 2 cups berries of choice (I used strawberries)

• 1 TBSP agave (or honey, if not vegan)

What to Do:

1) If you soaked your dates, pat them dry to remove excess water (to prevent crust from becoming to soggy). Put dates into food processor and pulse until a paste forms. Remove from bowl and put walnuts in. Pulse to chop.

2) Re-add the dates to the food processor bowl and pulse until the nuts and dates are mixed well, forming a ball.

3) Press evenly into a 9-inch springform and then place in the freezer while you prepare the filling. 

4) In a blender, combine all of the filling ingredients. Blend until smooth, and no nut chunks remain. 

5) Pour into springform and place in freezer as you prepare fruit topping.

6) After cleaning out food processor bowl, add berries (remove tops if necessary) and agave. Process until smooth. 

7) Carefully pour over filling (I used a large ladle to do this), and spread evenly across the top. 

8) Place back in freezer for at least 4 hours. Before serving, thaw ten minutes, or keep it frozen (just warm up your knife in hot water) - up to you! Enjoy!

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I love how this provided some much needed Summer vibes on a great, sunny day!

Think you'll try it? 

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