Vegan cheesecake with crumble topping

Today’s recipe is a bit of a treat. I made a vegan cheesecake with crumble topping and fresh raspberries. I used fresh raspberries because I made it a while back in preparation for my current holidays, but you can use blackberries, figs or anything else that’s currently in season where you live.

If using hardier fruit, like plums or apples, be sure to roast them or stew them briefly before topping the cheesecake and reserve stewing / baking juices for another use (like porridge).

This vegan cheesecake with crumble topping features tender shortbread crust topped with creamy lemon scented filling, juicy raspberries and crispy shortbread crumble on top. It’s easy to make and delicious, it makes for a perfect weekend (or special occasion) treat and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much we have.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

VEGAN BUTTER:I used a block of vegan butter in two different ways in this vegan cheesecake recipe. I used it to make a tender shortbread base and crumble crust and some more to add firmness and creaminess to the cheesecake filling. My favourite vegan butter brand available in the UK in Naturli. It’s a Danish brand, but it’s widely available in UK’s supermarkets – Sainsbury’s and Waitrose both stock it. If you cannot find it, my second recommendation is Violife and finally unsalted Flora. All of them work well in this context.

SUGAR: I used caster sugar, which is essentially superfine white sugar to sweeten both the shortbread crust and the filling. You could use a different sugar if you wish but be mindful of the fact that brown sugar, for example, will change the colour of the filling to possibly less appetising brownish colour. Also using superfine sugar guarantees that the sugar particles will dissolve completely during baking so that’s another reason for my sugar choice.

ALMOND FLOUR: I like to use a portion of almond flour in my cheesecake base as it results in a more tender texture. Typically, you do not use almond flour to make the crumble but I wanted to streamline the recipe so I used the same dough for both the crumble and the crust. While this time I used ground almonds (this is what almond flour is known as in the UK), I often use dried almond pulp leftover from making almond milk or vegan ricotta cheese in this recipe. It works really well.

PLAIN FLOUR: I used regular plain flour (without any raising agents) to make the dough for this recipe. If you want to make this vegan cheesecake without gluten, a well balanced mix of gluten-free flours – one that contains a fair amount of starches will work well. I also recommend adding either half a teaspoon of xanthan gum or one tablespoon of psyllium husk (1 tsp if using powder) for binding.

CASHEWS: To make the filling of this vegan cheesecake creamy and luxurious, I used raw cashew nuts soaked in water first. Soaking softens the nuts and makes them easier to blend well. You want to soak the cashews in boiling water for at least 30 minutes or in cold water for several hours (overnight is best). You can use hulled sunflower seeds instead – they will blend just as nicely – but some people are sensitive to their slightly bitter aftertaste whereas cashews have a very neutral, slightly sweet taste so for that reason they are more suitable.

LEMON ZEST AND JUICE: Since a dairy cheesecake is naturally tangy, some lemon juice is needed to mimic the same effect in a vegan cheesecake. You can use only a little or a lot (I often add as much as 80 ml / a third of a cup, but I enjoy my cheesecake tangy). Lemon zest is used for fragrance. You can use one or two lemons depending on how lemony you like your cheesecake (you guessed it, I tend to use 2 small lemons). I also love a combination of using zest of one lemon and of one orange – if you haven’t tried it I recommend you do.

RASPBERRIES: I used ripe raspberries to top this vegan cheesecake as this is the fruit that was at the height of season when I photographed this recipe, but you can use blackberries or figs or anything else that’s in season where you live. If using harder fruit like plums or apples, be sure to stew or bake them a little first and reserve the stewing / baking juices for another use – I like to add them to my porridge.

HOW TO MAKE IT?

1) MAKE THE FILLING

Soak cashews in boiling water for at least 30 minutes or in room temperature water overnight. Drain and blend with the remaining filling ingredients, apart from raspberries, until smooth.

2) MAKE THE BASE

Place both flours, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse it a few times until thoroughly combined. Add cubed butter and pulse it until the mixture resembles pebbles. Try to squeeze the mixture in the palm of your hand, if it’s sticks together you are good to go, but if it’s a little dry, trickle in small amount of cold water – one teaspoon at a time – until it comes together.

3) ASSEMBLE

Spread two thirds of the mixture at the bottom of the baking tin, bake until golden – about 15-20 minutes. Cool down, fill with cheesecake mixture and gently place raspberries on top. Finally, scatter the remaining biscuit base on top.

4) BAKE & COOL

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle is only just slightly wobbly. Cool down completely and refrigerate overnight for the neatest slices.