Recipe: Chocolate Cheesecake (VG+GF)

I’ve been feeling a bit uninspired with cooking some of the time lately. I got an air fryer for Easter, but I haven’t perfected crispy tofu yet and overall am feeling super pressed for time and short on creativity. But a rainy evening made for some free-ish time and that’s when things made a turn for dessert.

The inspiration starts with Ambitious Kitchen’s Vegan Dark Chocolate Tofu Cheesecake. My mom has made this before and has her own tweaks given her taste and ingredient availability. I tweaked it some, and did some things completely different, but it turned out awesome and was super, duper easy.

CRUST:

1/3 bag (ballpark) of gluten free pretzels… (this was two different kinds combined to make a 1/3 bag because that was all I had)

1/2 cup (ballpark) of seedy organic gluten free granola (I used Grandy Organics Original Coconola, a grain-free granola)

Couple hefty dashes of cinnamon

1.5 - 2 tablespoons of organic coconut butter, warmed (brand was Topwil Organic)

1.5 - 2 tablespoons of almond butter, warmed (brand was Fixx & Fogg, in Cashew + Maple)

For this, I ground in my Nutribullet until mixed, about 10-15 seconds, then added the slightly warmed coconut butter and almond butter, and mixed thoroughly by hand, until evenly incorporated and the consistency of lightly damp and packable sand. Pack into an 8x8 or similar sized pan, press firmly to make into a crust and back for 10 minutes at 350 F.

FILLING:

1 bag (10 oz) Kroger’s Simple Truth Organic Allergy-Friendly Semi-sweet chocolate chips (vegan)

1 container Kroger Simple Truth Organic Silken Tofu (1 lb)

Dash or two of pure vanilla extract

Option: 1-2 tablespoons cacao nibs and/or powder

Option: You can add coffee, but I’m sensitive to caffeine, and sometimes eat this in the evening

Option: You can add sweetener like maple syrup, but I find this plenty sweet enough as is

For this, I warm (via a gently double boil) the chocolate chips while the the crust is baking and warm the tofu. The chocolate and the tofu will combine and get blended together, so the only point of warming the tofu is to not shock and seize the warmed chocolate. Put warm chocolate, warm tofu, vanilla and coffee or sweetener (if using) and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour over crust that has been cooled.

Refrigerate overnight and serve with fresh fruit and coconut whipped cream. (I use Trader Joe’s Coconut Whipped Cream).

Crust:

Gluten-free pretzels, granola, cinnamon and your favorite nut butter + coconut butter or coconut oil.

Crust: Blended

It should be like semi-damp sand.

Set:

Oops. I cut it before I remembered I needed to take a picture. It should be firm and stay in place when cut with a knife when allowed to set up overnight in the fridge.

Eat:

It’s amazing and can fool a skeptic. I’m sure of it.