On this summer solstice, strawberries are sweet and fresh and make a perfect dessert. A cheesecake is a beautiful way to present them, or so I thought. I tried several types of recipes but none of them turned out quite right. I combined parts of recipes that I liked to make the perfect whole.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Baking, Cake, High Altitude, Recipe, Strawberry
Servings: 8
Author: The Decadent Vegan Baker
Equipment
9-inch Springform Pan
Immersion Blender
Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2cups+ 2 tablespoons almond flour
1/2cuphemp seedslightly crushed
scant 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1teaspooncinnamon
5tablespoonscoconut oilmelted
2tablespoonsagave nectar
Strawberry Topping
1poundfresh or frozen strawberrieswashed and stemmed
1/4cupvegan sugar
1/2vanilla beansplit lengthwise and seeds scraped
1/4ouncevegan gelatinstrawberry flavored or unflavored
Cheesecake
1poundvegan cream cheesesoftened
1/2cupvegan confectioners' sugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1 1/4cupsstrawberry toppingsee above
1/2cupsoy creamer
blueberries for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the crust:
Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together almond flour, hemp seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir in coconut oil and agave nectar.
Using your hands, spread mixture into a greased 9” springform pan. Flatten using the bottom of a glass. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until golden brown along the edges. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the strawberry topping:
In a pot, add strawberries, sugar, vanilla bean pod and seeds and 2 TBS water. Cook over medium heat until strawberries are soft. Remove vanilla bean pod and use an immersion blender to puree the fruit. Sprinkle gelatin over 2 TBS cold water in a small bowl. Allow it to sit for 2 minutes.
Transfer gelatin to the strawberries and gently cook over low heat, whisking just until gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Reserve 3/4 cup strawberry mixture for the cake top.
Prepare the cheesecake:
In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-low speed with paddle attachment until smooth. Add vanilla extract. Add strawberry topping, except reserved 3/4 cup. In a separate bowl, whisk creamer.
Replace stand mixer attachment with the whisk attachment. Add creamer to cheesecake batter and whisk until it is all combined. Pour cheesecake into prepared pan. Tap pan gently on counter to bring any air bubbles to surface. Let it sit, uncovered, in refrigerator for 2 hours or until it is set to the touch.
Once cheesecake is set, pour remaining 3/4 cup strawberry topping over it. If the topping has set up in pot, gently heat it for a minute, just until it is pourable. Place the cheesecake back into the refrigerator and allow to set, uncovered, for another 30 minutes, or until the topping is set. Decorate with blueberries.
At this point it is ready to serve or you can cover the cheesecake with plastic and it can sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Before unlocking the spring form pan, run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it.