VEGAN

Lemon "Farmer's" Cheesecake

This is a great everyday cake, one you can easily mix up for a daily
treat, but so delicious you’ll want to share it with friends.

Crust Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (85 g.) sunflower or other light-tasting oil
• 1/3 cup (100 g.) light agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml.) plain or vanilla soymilk
• 1-1/4 tsp. (6.5 ml.) pure vanilla extract
• 1 heaping Tbsp. (15 ml.) organic cornstarch
• 1 scant cup (130 g.) whole spelt flour
• 3/4 c. (80 g.) barley flour
• heaping 1/4 tsp. (2 g.) baking powder
• heaping 1/4 tsp. (2 g.) baking soda
• heaping 1/4 tsp. (2 g.) sea salt

Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 pkg. (350 g.) firm silken Japanese-style tofu packed in aseptic package (such as Mori-Nu)
• 1/2 cup (125 ml.) smooth cashew butter
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup (150 g.) light agave nectar
• 2 tsp. (10 ml.) fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml.) pure lemon extract
• 1 tsp. (5 ml.) pure vanilla extract
• pinch sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan (about 18 x 18
cm) or line with parchment.

Prepare crust: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the oil, agave,
soymilk and vanilla to emulsify. Sift the remaining ingredients over
the mixture in the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to combine into a
soft dough (it will be slightly sticky, but firm enough to hold a
shape).

Remove about 1/3 of the dough and set aside. Press the remaining
dough evenly into the bottom of the pan with wet fingers or a silicon
spatula (the spatula works well to avoid sticking). Set aside.

Make the filling:

Combine the tofu and cashew butter in a food processor until well
blended, scraping down sides to blend any bits of tofu. Add the
remaining ingredients and process until perfectly smooth and velvety
(there should be no bits of tofu visible).

Pour the filling evenly over the crust in the pan. To smooth the top,
grab the pan on opposite sides with your hands and, keeping the bottom
of the pan against the surface it’s on, quickly rotate it once to the
left and then to the right.

Divide the remaining dough in half, then divide each half into 3 equal
parts (you’ll have 6 balls of dough). Pinching about 1/2 of each ball
at a time, roll it between your palms to create a thin rope about 3/8″
(just under 1 cm.) thick.

Starting at one corner and working diagonally across to the opposite
corner of the pan, place ropes of dough next to each other in a
straight line from one corner to the other (the dough doesn’t
necessarily have to be rolled in a single rope that spans the whole
distance across the pan–you can line up shorter pieces next to each
other). Next, place ropes of dough on either side of the first rope
and parallel to it, so you end up with diagonal lines across the pan.
Continue until you have 5 lines in one direction across the pan
(shorter lines toward the edges).

Repeat with ropes of dough in the opposite direction, crossing over
the first ropes. You should end up with a criss-cross pattern over
the surface of the cheesecake.

Bake the cake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the filling
appears firm and the edges of the dough are beginning to brown. Cool
completely, then refrigerate until cold (at least 2 hours) before
slicing. Makes 9 large servings.

More photos available here.

Submitted by Ricki Heller, PhD, RHN-- Author of Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar. Twitter: @RickiHeller Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diet-Dessert-and-Dogs/124799880868208?ref=ts



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Photo Credit: Ricki Heller