Lemon Vegan Cheesecake

This picture is totally unrelated to the following entry.

Ok, I admit that I'll probably continue to neglect this blog and only update on a sporadic basis. I've had half an entry on my road trip sitting in my draft box for weeks, and I'm not entirely sure I'll ever finish it. But I promise you, this vital recipe will very nearly atone for my lack of dedication.

Chances are fairly good, in today's environmentally trendy world, that you are associated with at least one person who is, or tells people they are vegan. If not that, then you certainly know someone who's body just can't deal with the dairy. Lactose intolerance is quite common in many world cultures, so if you don't know either of these people yet, you will.

SITUATION!

Said person is coming over for a dinner party! The main course? Psh, no problem, you've got a wicked vegetable curry up your sleeve. But what are you going to do for dessert?! Your aunt Gertrude made a fierce cheesecake, and you really want to share that joy with your calcium deprived comrades!

Impossible, right?

WRONG.

Vegan cheesecake is one thing. But vegan cheesecake approved by a genuine cheesecake lover? That is an entirely different story. That is the story I'm going to tell you today. The title?

The Mystical Lemon Vegan Cheesecake of Wonders

It started out with a simple vegan cheesecake recipe I found online. It was quick and easy, and reasonably tasty, but it was just so...vegan. The texture was too airy and there was a slight soy aftertaste. It was good, but it wasn't cheesecake. To be honest, this recipe still isn't cheesecake. If I had chosen to opt for pricey "wannabe dairy" products like Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese, maybe we would be a little closer to the real thing, but until I modify this recipe further, this is a good alternative that won't make your vegan feel like they're cheating.

So this is what you need:

500 g medium smooth tofu

1/2 cup coconut milk

2/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest

juice of one lemon

Optional:

1/4 cup of flour, depending on your preferred firmness

Add a little lime juice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Celsius).

The crust is a graham cracker crust. For a 9" cake, I used a heaping cup of crumbs, mixed with a couple tablespoons brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and just enough canola oil to give me some fairly large clumps. Then just dump it all in your chosen pan (a springform works nicely for cheesecakes) and press it flat against the bottom, as evenly as you can. My crust was still a bit crumbly, so next time I might try replacing the sugar with maple syrup, and hopefully that will improve the consistency.

The rest is as simple as accumulating all the ingredients and throwing them in the blender! Dry off your tofu in a paper towel, and cut it into some manageable chunks. Everything else, just toss it in on top.

The coconut milk is key to this recipe. I saw a lot of recipes with soy milk, but soy milk lacks both the neutral taste and the creamy texture that coconut milk provides. It does contain saturated fats, but in small amounts that are supposedly beneficial to your health, so while you wouldn't want to drink it, it's perfect for adding richness to vegan cooking or baking.

Once blended, your ingredients should resemble a thick pudding. Feel free to taste at this point to see if it needs more of anything. If it's too runny, add some flour.

When you are sufficiently pleased with your mixture, pour it onto your pressed crust and pop it into your preheated oven. If you are using a springform pan, I would recommend placing it on top of another baking pan, in case any oil or liquid leaks through and causes a smoky, smelly mess. Leave it in the oven for about 50 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges, and then take it out to cool. Then refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving. It's lovely on it's own or with some fresh berries or sauce to top it off!

If you want more of a New York style cheesecake, take out the lemon, add the flour, add more sugar (maybe brown sugar?) with a bit of vanilla extract. Try it with an oreo crust! Or try a different flavor! Mango would be nice. But whatever you do, try it! Even if you're not vegan, or lactose intolerant, it never hurts to expand your horizons.

Voila! Bon appetit!

**UPDATE: This tastes even better after a couple of days in the refrigerator!**

So busy...

A great number of this and thats have been keeping me from the excitement of the blogosphere lately. Tea parties, road trips, birthdays, and returning to school and work, it's enough to drive a girl batty!

So where to start?

Well, the first item on the list was the tea party, so let's start with that.

A number of factors played a role in my decision to throw a tea party. One of those was the unfortunate fact that I had hosted one in January to much acclaim, but two of my good friends missed out on it due to attending a university located on the other side of the country. With both of them home, and one of them working the local tea circuit during the summer, it seemed only too appropriate to make it up to them.

Another reason was that I found this incredible handmade spearmint candy-coloured ice-cream parlour party dress at the thrift store, which needed a little bit of alteration but more importantly an occasion to be proudly displayed. Such handiwork shouldn't be so lightly cast away to the bins. Although I'm fortunate it was.

Third, I came across this post by effervescent baker and blogger Bria of These Peas Are Hollow, which refers to yet another blog, that of the creator of these marvelous, ridiculous, and delicious concoctions, Bakerella. The topic: Cake Pops. Yes, that's right. Cake, on a stick. A sinfully simple idea, transformed into an unimaginably complex and time-consuming process with Bakerella's countless adorable designs. Bria seems so far to have maintained a simple, elegant look for her pops, but added her own gourmet flare by experimenting with different homemade cakes and frostings (not to mention food colouring!). I knew I needed an occasion to try these as soon as I saw them, and what better place to serve such sweet morsels than alongside cups and saucers?

Speaking of sweet morsels... who ever heard of tea and quackers?

First things first, the alteration of the dress. I didn't do too much to it because it fortunately fit me quite well to begin with. It was just a bit too "Little House on the Prairie." I ripped off the top buttons and flattened out the panels into a sort of lapel, fluffed up the skirt with a few meters of net-like organza and threw on a few accessories. The waistline was just a bit higher than my natural waistline, which was slightly unflattering, but a thick belt over top seemed to do the trick. Someday I'd like to shorten it a bit and have a few layers of pink organza peeking out of the bottom and adding more *pouf*, but for now I'm leaving it as is.

Different options for accessorizing!

So when that was all taken care of, it was time to start thinking about what to serve at this party. As usual, I came up with a far-too-long list of appetizers and miniature desserts and managed to lock myself in a constant state of befrazzlement for a week as I tried to prepare.

Due to this, I decided that my first attempt at cake pops would employ the most rudimentary method to success, involving a boxed cake and canned frosting. I chose Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Chocolate Fudge cake and Betty Crocker's Buttercream frosting. But, as Bria shows us, the possibilities are almost endless.

I won't waste too much time going over what others have already explained so well, but in a nutshell: Bake cake. Cool cake. Crumble cake into a bowl. Add frosting. Roll cake into small balls and place on wax paper. Chill. Dip lollipop sticks in Candy melts before securing sticks in cake balls. Chill/freeze for several hours.

When pops are sufficiently hardened, melt 1 package of Candy Melts as per the package directions. Take out pops, a few at a time, and gently dip them, tapping off the excess.

The result will be a taste sensation unlike any you have experienced before. Your taste buds won't know what to make of it.

In addition to those, I also made miniature cupcakes, Portuguese custard tarts, a fruit tray with chocolate fondue, jello kebabs, some boxed appies, cheese and crackers, a veggie tray, and some wraps. And tea. Most of which was supplied by David's Tea. If you live in Canada, go get some. If not, order some online and get your friends to do the same; big orders mean free shipping!

This was the final spread. Or just about, anyways. Threw on some jazzy tunes, opened the door, and I think everyone had themselves a darn good time! I did, anyways. Clean up went right into the a.m. and then I was up a few short hours later for some road-trippin' excitement! Perhaps I'll get into that next time.

Until then!