It’s not often I post dessert recipes. It’s not because I don’t like them; I most certainly do, but The Husband and Eleventh Grader aren’t that into them, so alas, I don’t make them often. Well, that, and a recent food allergy test revealed I’m sensitive to sugar (which, really, explained a lot). But it won’t stop me from indulging once in a while, plus, these cheesecakes just might have turned the heads of my dessert snubbers; they loved these. I also served these to non-vegans who raved about them, so something must have gone right. The original recipe comes from Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking. I made it for guests a week ago, then decided to tweak the recipe to make a lemon-lavender version a few days ago for a get together. Both are outstanding. I must note, however, that you shouldn’t expect a dry cheesecake like a New York-style, but rather a creamier, softer version. The taste is just as decadent though. I’m not sure which one I liked more. Also, keep in mind that you’ll need to make this cake the day before. I assure you, it’ll be worth it!
CHAI-SPICED CHEESECAKE
INGREDIENTS:
Crust
Vegetable shortening, for the pan
1 C flour
1/2 C vegan margarine
1/4 C sugar
1 Tbs applesauce (I buy the individual cups of applesauce since I don’t need a lot.)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Filling
1-1/4 C almond milk (I used unsweetened)
6 chai tea bags
3, 8-oz pkgs. plain vegan cream cheese
1 C sugar
3 Tbs applesauce
1 Tbs egg replacer powder (I use Ener-G)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs orange zest
1 Tbs flour
Pinch of sea salt
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
3 Tbs sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
(I found this to be too much, but I saved the rest in an extra spice jar I had)
DIRECTIONS:
To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350. Place a baking sheet or foil under the top rack to catch any drippings. I learned the hard way. The butter and shortening can leak from the bottom edges of the springform pan and create a gross, baked-on mess on the bottom of your oven. Lightly coat a springform pan with the vegetable shortening. In a medium bowl, add all of the crust ingredients (I cut the margarine into small cubes). Use a pastry blender to create a crumbly mixture. With your hands, press the crust into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 5-6 minutes; set aside. Reduce oven to 300.
To make the filling, heat the almond milk and tea bags in a small sauce pan. Once the milk starts to boil, remove from the heat and let it cool.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining filling ingredients. The recipe specifies using a hand mixer, but I used my stand mixture and it worked fine. When the almond milk is cool enough, squeeze the tea bags into the milk and discard the bags. Add the milk mixture to the filling.
Pour the filling onto the crust and use a spatula or spoon to even it out. Combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle into the cheesecake in a spiral or swirl pattern.
Bake at 300 for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200 and bake for an hour. It may look jiggly still, but it will set up. Don’t insert a toothpick or knife in it. Turn off the oven, but leave the cheesecake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then, run a sharp knife carefully along the side to loosen it; don’t remove the sides of the pan. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
Before serving, run a knife along the side again, then gently release the sides of the pan.
Cut and serve directly from the bottom of the springform pan. Enjoy!
Okay, onto the second cheesecake!
LEMON-LAVENDER CHEESECAKE
INGREDIENTS:
Crust
Vegetable shortening, for the pan
1/2 C flour
1/2 C crushed graham crackers
1/2 C vegan margarine, cut into small cubes
1/4 C sugar
1 Tbs applesauce (I buy the individual cups since I don’t need a lot.)
Filling
1-1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
12 drops of lemon oil (I use doTerra essential oil)
3, 8-oz pkgs. plain vegan cream cheese
1 C sugar
3 Tbs applesauce
1 Tbs egg replacer (I use Ener-G)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs flour
Pinch of sea salt
Sugar-Lavender Topping
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp crushed lavender
DIRECTIONS:
To make the crust, preheat oven to 350. Place a baking sheet or foil under the top rack to catch any drippings. I learned the hard way. The butter and shortening can leak from the bottom edges of the springform pan and create a gross, baked-on mess on the bottom of your oven. Lightly coat a springform pan with the vegetable shortening. Combine all of the crust ingredients into a medium bowl.
Use a pastry blender to blend it all together. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan and bake for 5-6 minutes; set aside. Reduce heat to 300.
To make the filling, combine the almond milk and lemon oil in a medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the rest of filling ingredients. Add the almond milk.
Pour the filling onto the crust. Use a spatula to even it out. Combine the sugar and lavender and sprinkle over the top of the cake. I admit, I forgot to do this step.
Bake at 300 for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200 and bake for an hour. It may look jiggly still, but it will set up. Don’t insert a toothpick or knife in it. Turn off the oven, but leave the cheesecake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then, run a sharp knife carefully along the side to loosen it; don’t remove the sides of the pan. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
Before serving, run a knife along the side again, then gently release the sides of the pan.
Cut and serve directly from the bottom of the springform pan. Enjoy!
