Baked Vegan Cheesecake September 27
I could definately be vegan. A great deal of the foods that I eat are vegetarian and many can be made vegan. I have experimented with vegan baking, which, by and large, has produced some wonderful results. I actually have many other vegan recipes and substitutions that suprise people, from cookies to cakes. Does it seem like I am dwelling on the sweet side? I am. Anyone who bakes will know that the biggest challenge about being vegan is the baked goods. It is hard, and in some cases nearly impossible, to replicate the properties of ingredients like eggs and dairy in baked goods. I will not be trying a vegan flan, meringue or whipped cream in the near future. This isn’t to say that it cannot be done, but it certainly won’t be easy.
I’m glad that Sam picked Vegan cooking as the theme for this month’s IMBB. I think it will increase awareness. Beyond the basics, veganism covers a wide range of eating habits. Many vegans are “activists”. They are vegan because they believe that it is wrong to eat/use/exploit animals in any way. No leather, no silk, no wool, no honey. Other vegans share these same beliefs to varying degrees, perhaps eating honey or wool. Just like any other lifestyle, I don’t think that this is “incorrect”, though I know that many people might disagree. I believe that if you think you are doing the right thing by not using leather or eating animal products, but you still eat honey, there is nothing wrong with considering yourself to be a vegan. I don’t know how vegan activists feel about the group of people, ever growing, who are vegan for health reasons. A low fat, vegan diet may slow or stop the progression of some types of cancer, including prostate cancer and lymphoma. Many people eat vegan, but continue to use other types of non-food animal products.
When I make something vegan, I do not tell people - excluding veg friends - that it is vegan. I prefer to suprise them with it once they’ve already eaten some. This cheesecake got good reviews, even after it was revealed to be vegan. Now, it was not as creamy or decadent as the cheesecake I made before, but I don’t think anyone would deny that this is a tasty cheesecake. It was a cross between a dense, New York style cheesecake and a lighter, European style cheesecake. It had a great texture, a bit melting, light and fluffy. I chose to make it lemon flavored, not wanting another dense chocolate dessert, but you could substitute orange or lime juice for the lemon.
I don’t think you want to see the nutritional information for my last cheesecake, but this one has no saturated fat and no cholesterol. Per slice, not necessarily by weight, this cheesecake has half of the calories and more than 3 times less fat than the regular cheesecake. Good reason to have seconds!
(Vegan) Lemon Cheesecake
1-14 oz package firm silken tofu
1-8 oz package Better than Cream Cheese
2/3 cup sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
½ tsp almond extract
2 tbsp cornstarch
1-9 inch pie crust
Preheat oven to 350F.
Place silken tofu and vegan cream cheese in the food processor. Process for 1 minute, then add sugar. Process until smooth and no sugar granules remain, 3-5 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and almond extract. Whisk in cornstarch. Pour mixture into the food processor and process until very smooth. Pour into prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes.
Allow to cool at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
Serves 10
drbiggles Sep 27
YAY !!! You did it! Very cool.
I’m still working on mines.
Clare Eats Sep 27
You did a GREAT Job!!
What was in the pie crust?
Nic Sep 27
Dr. B - I can’t WAIT to see your entry.
Clare - Thanks! You can probably tell from the photo that there isn’t a crust on this particular cake. I wanted to taste the filling without being biased by the deliciousness of a graham cracker crust. Use vegan margerine and this crust.
Joe Sep 27
Hi Nic,
It’s nice to see a Vegan cheesecake that does come out well! I’ve tasted a couple that just left a bad taste but I think that was because of the sweetener. They didn’t use regular processed white cane sugar as some don’t consider this vegan since it could of been filtered through charcol that may be from animal bones.
Nic Sep 27
Joe - It could be, but not all brands are. If you write to the company, they can often tell you wheather the sugar is vegan or not. I know if I were a strict vegan, I would check with the companies before writing off a product as great as sugar. You can also use evaporated cane juice (very similar to regular sugar).
Stephanie Sep 27
Nic, that’s a fine-looking cheesecake! Cheesecakes are my weak spot…which is why I never make them at home…only save them for dining out.
You need to watch that crust: butter holds the graham crackers together. But that’s only if you’re going for full-on vegan. Just being a brat and pointing that out.
But really fantastic entry!
Nic Sep 28
You’re right, Stephanie, but I’ve noticed that a lot of graham crackers in stores are made with shortening or vegetable oil and are vegan!
Catherine Sep 28
Very impressive. And courageous! Hey, I’m tagging you for the 23/5 meme…http://foodmusings.typepad.com/food_musings/2005/09/meme_meme_bobem.html
Good luck!
Catherine Sep 28
I’m also an idiot. Here’s the real link, sorry…
chronicler Sep 28
Nic, wow! Your cheesecake looks so, um, how do yo say, un-vegan! I’m glad it turned out!
And oh heck! I just tagge dyou for the same meme! Evidently we all want to read an earlier post from you!
Nic Sep 28
Thanks Catherine and Chronicler. I already participated in the meme, though. Check out my line here.
Sam Sep 28
so Nic - do you have any honey and woool recipes for me to try????
this is the most fabulous post on the theme. Not only an unbelievably delicious looking dessert, but also a very well thought out message about veganism.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with everyone.It’s a fascinating subject.
sam
Helen (AugustusGloop) Sep 28
Looks great. Thought-provoking write-up on the whole vegan issue as well.
And I had the same thought as Sam. Got any winter warmer wool recipes?
Catherine Sep 28
Shoot, I missed that one when I did my checking. Drat!
T Sep 28
Hi Nic,
Your cheesecake looks like the real deal- great entry!
Kelly Sep 29
What an interesting idea. Looks like it was a great success!
Nic Sep 29
Ha, ha, guys. How about a cream soup that you eat on a cold day while wearing a wool sweater?
rae Sep 29
i checked out the saucy link and can’t wait for more recipes! although i cook non-vegan baked sweets for my sweet i’ve pretty much given up on them myself. soggy, dense, wet, gross…
Nic Sep 29
Rae - I wanted to e-mail you, but can’t find your address. I make this pudding cake vegan all the time, just by using soy milk. It works wonderfully.
McAuliflower Oct 2
I’m so glad you took the cheesecake challenge! You are a great recipe supplier Nic!
Nic Oct 2
Thanks, McAuliflower. I think that between the two of us, we could write a tofu dessert book in no time!
Anonymous Oct 3
I made this last night, and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight. This morning I had my first taste and let me tell you, it is absolutely delightful to the tastebuds. I give this recipe an A+.
Nancy Jan 24
I made this tonight for my husband’s birthday and it was fantastic - topped with sour cherries it made an awesome birthday treat. thanks for the recipe!
gooberp00h Mar 1
Nic, looks great! Can’t wait to give it a try. Any idea whether trying to combine this with your Best Cheesecake would result in anything edible? I’m thinking leave out the lemon and maybe adding some vanilla to the “plain” portion, and adding chocolate to half of it. If I get around to it, I’ll let you know if it turns out!
Plume May 5
Aaaaaaaargh!
Why but why haven’t we got any vegan cream cheese here in France???
Well, to tell the truth we don’t have any regulat cream cheese either…
I wanted to try this recipe with soy sour cream but I couldn’t find any yet.
I’m ging to keep on looking for it…
SusanV Sep 7
My husband made this for me for my birthday, and it came out fabulous. I chose this recipe for him specifically because it was created by a non-vegan: I figured that you would know what a cheesecake was supposed to taste like, while some of us have been vegan so long that we’ve gotten used to substitutes. I don’t know if my theory was correct, but this was definitely the best vegan cheesecake we’ve ever made. Thanks so much!
Nicolai Sep 8
First, I’m interested to try this. I’m not vegan anymore, but I’ve cooked in places where customers want it, and this looks like one of the best bets I’ve seen.
I believe that if you think you are doing the right thing by not using leather or eating animal products, but you still eat honey, there is nothing wrong with considering yourself to be a vegan.
Yeah, but if you eat animal products, you’re–literally, by definition–not vegan. Honey is an animal product, so that’s kind of the end of that story. Like I know a surprising number of people who don’t eat any animal flesh except bacon. They’re not vegetarians.
Anonymous Sep 14
Mmm… been wondering whether baked vegan cheesecake existed for ages! Thanks!
Anonymous Sep 15
Just thought that I’d let everyone know about Earth Balance Vegan Butter. It’s great & I don’t even notice a difference between it & real butter.
Anonymous Sep 19
a note on vegan products -
writing/calling a company will do you no good in determining if a product is vegan - I have tried this in the past and found that the majority of CS reps gave false information (because they don’t know/care)
For instance; I wrote a certain chip company (SoH) inquiring if their tortilla chips were vegan, I was told that ALL their products were vegan. I called them to complain about this misleading info and got the same story (all products were vegan). When I said I know that many of their products contain milk the rep responded that milk was an animal byproduct not a product, so it was vegan!
If you want to know what you eat you have to do the “legwork” yourself
Jessi-veg Dec 1
This cheesecake is SO awesome! I’ve made it many many times, and I always change the flavor. Strawberry extract is really good instead of lemon juice, and putting mangos and strawberries on top is absoultely fantastic. Thank you so much!
Fairly Odd Tofu Mom Jan 6
I can’t believe I found such a great blog. And some vegan recipes too!
I’ll be returning!
(Oh, and btw, cane sugar is bone char whitened, but beet sugar is not. Most generic and store-brand white sugar is beet sugar, and thus vegan, if in doubt, check their website.)
GREAT blog!!
Hannah Jul 20
Oh my, even after making this it’s hard to believe it’s vegan. And I love how much faster it is to make than traditional cheesecake.
Lisa Sep 19
This is such a great cheesecake - vegan or not! I used low-fat silken tofu, too, so I felt super unguilty eating it! Thanks!
Diane Dec 23
this cheescake recipe is simple and delicious!
Church Secretary Dec 24
Excellent recipe.