Vegan Cheesecake

A vegan cheesecake that tastes shockingly smooth, creamy, and rich. The secret? Soaked cashews!

This cake is downright magic. A vegan cheesecake that tastes shockingly smooth, creamy, and rich. The secret? Soaked cashews! Cashews are an amazing ingredient that can be used across a variety of recipes and it’s no exception here.

The backbone of this recipe is time. The cashews must be rehydrated fully for the best cheesecake texture. If you don’t have enough time to soak in cold water overnight, there’s a shortcut: soak for 2 hours in a big bowl of boiling water.

We call for refined coconut oil here because it has a more neutral flavour that allows for a milder playground where all the ingredients can coexist beautifully. If you love that deeply rich, fragrant coconut taste and don’t mind it overtaking the spotlight, opt for virgin coconut oil.

While the raspberry topping is optional, it truly makes this cheesecake better than all the rest. A little sweet, fruit acidity helps the creaminess shine without being overpowering.

Serves 10

You’ll need:

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup almonds
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup almond butter
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 cups cashews (soaked overnight, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup refined coconut oil, melted, plus more for pan
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 (8-oz) container vegan cream cheese
3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, divided

Here’s how:

Make the crust: Pulse oats, almonds, and coconut flakes in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl and fold in maple syrup, salt, and almond butter.
Grease the bottom of a 8″ or 9” spring form pan with coconut oil and press crust evenly into bottom of pan.
Make the filling: In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix coconut milk and ¾ cup sugar and heat just until sugar is dissolved. Let cool.
In a high-powered blender, blend soaked cashews, cooled coconut milk mixture, coconut oil, and vanilla until thick and smooth. Blend in vegan cream cheese.
Pour filling mixture into crust and chill in freezer for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
Make the fruit topping: Bring 2 cups raspberries and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a low boil over medium heat and continue to simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then fold in remaining 1 cup berries.
Assemble the cake: Remove cheesecake from springform pan and let thaw at room temperature 1 hour before spooning raspberry topping all over top of cake.

Original source: https://www.delish.com