Two of my close friends are getting married next week, and asked me to make a vegan cheesecake for their wedding. Admittedly cheesecake isn't the most obvious choice of cake to make vegan, but silken tofu can do wonders. It can be found in asian shops (at the back of Yum Yum; upstairs at New Loon Moon) health food stores like Infinity Foods or if like me you're baking late at night, in Sainsbury's, hidden near the Beanfeast. The stuff I've used is UHT, and comes in a tetrapak.
I made a nice Lime one before, with a base made from digestive biscuits, but my friend who's getting married asked for chocolate, so chocolate it is.
I've largely used the recipe found in Another Dinner Is Possible, an excellent vegan cookbook written by a cooking collective on the southcoast, experienced at serving up tasty grub to large groups of activists.
So.. the recipe.
50g cashew nuts
5 tbsp oil
2 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
100g flour
200-400g chocolate
~600g (2 packs) of silken tofu,
100g + 3tbsp sugar
rum
Preheat oven to Gas 6
To make the base, grind & blend:
50g cashew nuts
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1tbsp sugar
add 100g flour
Press this breadcrumby mixture into a tin (I used a round 'springform cake tin') and bake in the oven for 15mins.
Melt the chocolate (200-400g) in a 'bain-marie'
Blend (~600g - 2 packs) of silken tofu, add 2tsp vanilla essence and 100g sugar.
Then mix in with the chocolate like so:
Add rum (2 - 6 shots to taste!)
Put this mix on top of the breadcrumby base, and bake for 30mins.
You can add an extra 'glaze' area if you like. I used half a carton of soya cream, with 2tbsp sugar & 2tsp vanilla essence. Adding more sugar will make a nice shiny gelatinous caramely top.
You can also use yoghurt as the 'base' of this & mix in various flavours.
Bake this for 5-10 mins on top heat.
Leave in a fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before eating.
Should serve 12.
et voila...
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Here's a lime version I made for the London Vegan Pot-luck last month.
