Baked no-cheese cheesecake (Vegan)

Makes 10 servings

This is magic! Unbelievably rich and creamy baked no-cheese ‘cheesecake’.

I was most sceptical about a no-cheese ‘cheesecake’. I was pretty sure a plant based alternative won’t live up to my expectations and almost made peace with the fact that if I was to follow a plant based diet, this is something I would have to give up.
However, I have never been happier to be proven wrong!

It is amazing how the texture and taste of this baked no-cheesecake is so much like a traditional cheesecake, but unlike traditional cheesecake, this plant based version doesn’t seem to be prone to cracks, so you can have the perfect no-cheesecake every single time.

The flavours I choose are classic: vanilla and lemon. I added some blueberries in the no-cheese layer for a fruity surprise. The crunchy biscuit base is made using Biscoff biscuits, which are accidentally vegan.

Having conquered my first baked no-cheesecake I am already dreaming about other flavour combinations. I hope you feel inspired to give it a try!

Ingredients

Biscuit base

• 220g Biscoff biscuits (about 35 biscuits)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)

No-cheesecake filling

• 190g cashew nuts (soaked)
• 350g firm silken tofu (pressed)
• 200ml almond milk
• 100g vegan white chocolate (melted)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 lemon (zest & juice)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blueberries (100g) for filling and serving.

Method

1. Prep work: soak the cashew nuts in boiling water for a coupe of hours; wrap the tofu in kitchen roll and press for a couple of hours.
2. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4. Use a food processor to pulse the biscuits to a breadcrumb consistency. Pour in the melted coconut oil and combine. Press the biscuit mixture into the base of a 9 inch/23 cm tart tin/dish.
3. In a blender, whizz together all the no-cheesecake ingredients until smooth. The resulting texture should be similar to sour cream and should be pourable. Add more almond milk if the resulting texture is too thick.
4. Place a handful of fresh blueberries over the biscuit base and pour over the no-cheesecake filling. Bake the no-cheesecake for 30 minutes and leave it to cool down in the oven, with the oven door half open. Once cool, store in the fridge and serve with more fresh berries. Enjoy!