Tag Archives: vegan honey

Vegan Baklava Cheesecake Minis

vegan baklava cheesecake minis

vegan baklava cheesecake minis

With many holiday parties coming up (such as Thanksgiving in the U.S.), it’s good to have a go-to recipe that is simple to make and easily feeds a small crowd. Sure, you can bring cookies, but that’s what everyone else does. For me, I like these bite-sized cheesecakes that will stand out at a buffet or when passed around the dinner table.
On my hunt for a mini-sized dessert I found a full-sized cheesecake in a phyllo crust. Then I realized that it would work just as well in little phyllo shells. And, it would be faster to make. Plus the mini shells are adorable.
I was sold on the recipe but it wasn’t vegan. With a few simple swaps, like vegan versions of all of the dairy items, it was just about ready to go. A quick glance at my cupboard revealed I had a product called Vegan Honey which was perfect. If you don’t have this, then agave syrup is fine, too.
Until next time, happy baking!

vegan baklava cheesecake minis
Print Recipe

Vegan Baklava Cheesecake Minis

With many holiday parties coming up (such as Thanksgiving in the U.S.), it’s good to have a go-to recipe that is simple to make and easily feeds a small crowd. Sure, you can bring cookies, but that’s what everyone else does. For me, I like these bite-sized cheesecakes that will stand out at a buffet or when passed around the dinner table.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Baking, cheesecake, Cinnamon, cream cheese, Phyllo, pistachio, Recipe
Servings: 45 phyllo cups
Author: The Decadent Vegan Baker

Equipment

  • large baking pan
  • Stand Mixer

Ingredients

for the phyllo shells

  • 3 boxes mini phyllo shells (45 shells total)
  • ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts toasted

for the filling

  • ⅔ cup plant-based cream
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
  • ⅓ cup vegan honey or agave syrup
  • ⅓ cup vegan greek-style yogurt plain
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 3 tablespoons organic powdered sugar sifted
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

for the topping

  • ⅛ cup shelled pistachios finely chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
  • To make the phyllo shells, remove the mini shells from their wrappings and defrost if necessary.
  • Stir together the ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, granulated sugar, and walnuts in a small bowl. Place the empty shells on the prepared baking pan and spoon the cinnamon-sugar mixture inside them. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, then set the baking pan on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
  • Beat the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until stiff peaks form, then remove to a small bowl. Put the cream cheese in the empty stand mixer bowl and beat it until smooth. Add the honey, yogurt, and vanilla paste and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and cloves and beat until smooth. Add the whipped cream and gently stir with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
  • Place the filling in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, then pipe the filling into the cooled shells. Sprinkle the pistachios over each shell.
  • Refrigerate the cheesecakes for 1 to 2 hours to firm up.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe at rodellekitchen.com

Vegan Honey Mini Cakes for a Sweet New Year

vegan honey mini cakes
vegan honey mini cakes

This week was a celebration of the Jewish New Year. The tradition is to eat honey cakes at this time to ensure sweetness in the upcoming year. Because honey is not a vegan food, vegan bakers can turn to a honey substitute to have a sweet new year.

I have a honey-like syrup in my files from my “A Sweet New Year Apple Muffins,” so I went in search of a honey cake recipe that I could use it in. What I found was perfect because the spices in the cake would go well with the fruit in the vegan honey. Also, the cake was already vegan, but I amped it up by using my own egg substitute described in “Super Flegg – A Perfect Egg Substitute.”

Next I put the high altitude spin on it by adding flour and liquid (in the form of applesauce), then reduced the leaveners. The batter was divvied into mini cake pans to help with rise issues caused by altitude, but that had an added bonus. I now had several mini cakes so each person could have their own tasty treat to enjoy while ringing in the new year.

Vegan Honey Mini Cakes for a Sweet New Year adapted from Vegan Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah

for the vegan honey
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1/8 cup agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon vegan sugar
1/2 organic orange, thinly sliced
1/2 organic lemon, thinly sliced
for the cakes
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1.25 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup raisins, optional

To make the vegan honey, combine the syrups and sugar in a medium saucepan with high sides. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the sliced fruit. Lower the heat and cook at a low boil for 15 minutes, stirring a few times. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a low boil. Once a syrupy consistency is reached, pour the liquid through a mesh strainer into a heat-safe measuring cup, discarding the fruit. If you do not have 1/2 cup of syrup, then add agave syrup to reach that amount. Set aside to cool.

For the cakes, preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour the cups of a mini cakes pan, or a muffin tin.

Prepare the super flegg by putting the ground flaxseeds and the aquafaba in a small bowl and stirring well. Set aside to thicken.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into a large bowl. Place the applesauce, oil, vanilla, vegan honey, and super flegg into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Stir in the raisins, if using.

Divide the batter among the cups of the pan you are using. Do not fill the wells completely or your cakes will overflow while baking. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, depending on the pan used, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out with a few small crumbs. Place the baking pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then tip the cakes onto a wire rack to fully cool.

Until next time, Happy New Year and happy baking!