On the 8th of August we were in Edinburgh, Scotland. We had the coolest congenial day, got to see all aspects of the Fringe Festival (theater productions, buskers, comedians, magicians..) it was amazing! Before leaving the city, my sister insisted we try out a boba tea shop near by.
There, in the shiny glass cooler-case, were the most decadent-creamy-heavenly-rich-looking cheesecakes. Just sitting there. Now I remember this day, I made eye contact with those perfect cakes and yearned to taste it, but I hesitated: imagine all the dairy and eggs in that! Those poor cows and chickens.
So, I was left with a refreshing, bright green, melon boba tea + soy milk. It was great, I felt very lucky. But ever since that day, I have been thinking about how good a forkful of cheesecake would taste. How it would just melt in your mouth creamy, tangy, sweet.... mmmmm.
I finally got home and was still thinking about cheesecake. Before our boxes were unpacked there was cheesecake in the oven.
Let me happily inform you that the wait was worth it.
This cheesecake made dreams come true. Wow, I am feeling dramatic, but it meant a lot 😂
Now, I LOVE chocolate so I thought; if I'm gonna bother making it from scratch I should make my ultimate cheesecake tailored to my tastebuds. I baked dark chocolate buckwheat biscuits and used them for the cookie base (you can sub in your own favorites though!) then I topped it with a vegan cream cheese mixture that had the silkiest texture, the ideal balance between softness, approaching a gooey-er state and firm/dense cake. Then! To properly top-off a chocolate cheesecake: a delicate layer of ganache. Super simple, but really melts in your mouth in the most delightful way!
I hope this brings you as much satisfaction and joy as it did to me ❤️
Ingredients ( 24 portions)
cookie crumb crust (crush your favorite cookies, add some melted vegan butter or coconut oil to it 1-2 Tbs should be enough, get the mixture moist enough to allow you to press it into your pan)
cheesecake
284g your favorite chocolate, melted (mine was 63% I think)
225g firm tofu
454g silken tofu
454g vegan sour cream
5 Tbs cornstarch
60g lemon juice
2 Tbs cocoa powder
90g sugar
ganache
220g chocolate
50ml plant milk
1 Tbs agave or maple syrup
Instructions
1. Prepare a 9"x12" (22x30cm) pan by lining it with parchment paper or tin foil. Press in the moist cookie crumbs and bake your cookie crust for 8 minutes or until beginning to brown at 350°F.
2. Blend together the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Pour the mixture on top of the crust, set aside. Boil ~4 cups of water and put it in a dish on the lowest oven rack. This will create a nice steamy environment for a crack-free, moist cheesecake. On the middle rack place the cheesecake. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 10 minutes before cooling to room temperature. Then top with ganache or cover and refrigerate until you are ready to cover with ganache.
3. Make the ganache by combining the ingredients and melting in the microwave (30sec intervals, stirring in between until smooth). Cover the cheesecake evenly with ganache and chill for at least 4hr in the fridge before cutting and serving! I sliced them into 12 squares, then split each of those in half diagonally.
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