Vegan Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Chocolate Crust
Makes one cake
I originally bought this cheesecake from our vegan friend Jenny Houser. She has a big sweet tooth. Jenny is so active; I think she needs the sweets to keep her energy charged — like a hummingbird needs to sip the nectar from flowers to keep its wings going a zillion miles an hour. She gave me the recipe to start making it at home or in the restaurant. It’s always a good sign when customers or friends want to know what’s in it because it tastes authentic.
Ingredients
Tofutti Cream Cheese, three containers
Tofutti Sour Cream, 1 cup
Non-GMO silken or soft tofu, ½ cup
vegan graham crackers, 4 cups (after putting in a food processor)
Earth Balance Organic Vegan Buttery Spread, 1/2 cup
Organic ground flaxseed meal, 2 tbsp
Pure vanilla extract, 1 tbsp
Organic cane sugar, ¾ cup
Lemon, one-half juice only
Vegan non-GMO semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, ½ cup
Strawberries or blueberries for garnish
Directions
Put the graham crackers into a food processor and blend them until they are finely ground. Put the graham crumbs into a medium mixing bowl. In a microwave, melt, but don’t heat, ¾ of a cup of Earth Balance Buttery Blend (30 seconds.) Mix the melted Earth Balance with the graham crackers with a fork. Add the mini chocolate chips and continue to scramble to have a consistent and even texture.
Could you sparingly make a springform cake pan with additional Earth Balance Buttery Blend? (A springform pan has a clip that will allow you to take the side of the pan off when the cake has cooled.) Pour the contents of the crust mixture into the springform pan and make an even layer of graham crackers along the bottom and then a ridge along the interior pan about an inch high. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, add the Tofutti cream cheese, Tofutti sour cream, silken tofu, flaxseed meal, organic sugar, pure vanilla extract, and the juice of a half lemon. Blend this mixture for about four or five minutes. Pour the filling into the cake pan and top with a spatula. I lightly tap the pan on the kitchen counter to help even the mixture. Next put the cake in the oven on top of a cookie sheet. This is important in case the buttery spread leaks out of the bottom of the springform pan (which could cause a fire).
Could you bake it for about 50 minutes and check? Once the top of the cake has baked evenly and has a slightly light brown hue, it’s done. In my oven, it is precisely one hour. Let the vegan cheesecake sit on top of a countertop for about 45 minutes, then place it in a refrigerator to completely cool. I generally wait four hours before I slice into the cake. Serve the dessert on a large or small plate with a fruit garnish, like fresh strawberries or blueberries.
