Cashew and tofu merge for creamy vegan cheesecake
Vegan food blogger and cookbook author Sam Turnbull says that delicious traditional meals can be made to vegan tastes, including cheesecake.
Cookbook author and food blogger Sam Turnbull says recipe tastes just like traditional cheesecake
When food blogger and cookbook author Sam Turnbull decided to go vegan, she didn't find many of the available recipes exciting.
This spurred Turnbull to work on cooking and developing recipes that were not too different from the meals she used to eat. She found out that any meal can be made to vegan tastes.
It's been nearly five years since she stopped eating animal products, and Turnbull has now written a book, Fuss-Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Food Favorites, Veganized.
She was a guest on All in a Day this week. She shared the recipe for one of her dessert creations, vegan cheesecake, on the show's D is for Dinner segment.
Vegan Cheesecake
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups of vegan graham cracker crumbs.
- ¼ cup of melted vegan butter or coconut oil.
- 1½ cups of softened raw cashews.
- 1 cup of silken tofu.
- ½ cup of full-fat coconut milk.
- ½ cup of white sugar.
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
- Zest of 1 lemon, about 1 teaspoon.
- 1½ tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Cut a parchment paper to line the bottom of an eight-inch round baking pan.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs with melted vegan butter or coconut oil in a medium bowl.
- Pour the mixture in the prepared pan. Press it down firmly, and bake for eight minutes to make a graham cracker crust.
- Put cashews in a small saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Blend cashews with the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor until mixture is completely smooth. Pour mixture over the top of the graham cracker crust.
- Return pan to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove when edges look dry or even cracked, and the centre looks wet, not liquid.
- The cake will look puffy but it will fall as it cools. Let the cake rest at room temperature before cooling it in the fridge, uncovered, for about four hours or overnight.