In honor of world vegan day, I am posting a recently requested recipe for these vegan gluten free mini cheesecakes.
I received this recipe from Rachel Duboff in a cooking class at Puget Consumer Co-op more than a dozen years ago. I conscripted friends to make them in quantity for our afternoon wedding in 2013. One friend who attended told me a few weeks ago that there were two things she remembered about that wedding. One was how lovely we looked and the other was the amazing desserts. That would have been these.
BONUS: Besides being vegan, they are also gluten free!
This no-cook/no bake recipe requires minimum equipment:
A food processor is essential.
A silicon mini-muffin tray makes them easy to pop out once they are frozen. Lacking that, one could use little individual paper muffin cups in any size you choose.
A zester or microplane works best or one could make do with the finest setting on a grater.
The most time consuming part of the recipe is zesting 3-5 limes. Three small ones if you halve the recipe as I did for the eighteen shown in the image above. Or five larger ones for the whole batch. When I make a full recipe, it more than fills my silicone tray and I need to invent alternatives.
These do keep in the freezer in an airtight container for a few weeks, if you can resist eating them or sharing them for that long. They can be handy to have on hand for a last minute invitation to a holiday party. When you don’t have time to prepare something to share, having a dozen or more of these little delicacies on hand can be a great convenience.
Vegan Coconut Lime “Cheesecakes” recipe by chef Rachel Duboff, 2013
Serves 6-8
Preparation time 2 hours
(includes an hour to soak cashews, which can be done while preparing crust)
Before starting on crust, put 1 cup of cashews in water to soak for an hour
Crusts:
1 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup almond meal
6 dates, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse until dates are broken up and well distributed.
When pinched between thumb and finger, should stick together.
Press about a teaspoon full into bottoms of mini muffin tins, more if yours are larger.
Will fill at least 2 dozen mini muffins or 6-8 4-inch ramekins
You can place the muffin tin in the freezer while making the filling to firm and chill
Filling:
1 cup cashews, soak in water for at least an hour
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
Zest from 3-5 limes, depending on size of limes
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
(optional) toasted coconut flakes for garnish
Once cashews have softened, drain well.
Place all above ingredients in the food processor bowl after wiping out any remaining bits of crust.
Blend until smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape down sides once or twice during blending.
Check for lime and salt balance.
Spoon onto prepared crusts.
Garnish with lime zest or toasted coconut if desired.
Place into fridge to set filling if planning to use them soon. If not, place in freezer until well firmed.
Cheesecakes should pop out of containers with a nudge from a knife, or if a silicone muffin tray, can push them out from below.
Once frozen and popped out, can be stored in a smaller airtight container for 2-3 weeks.
Notes: can substitute other nuts or seeds, ground to meal, for almond meal, or if not needing to be gluten free, could substitute a graham cracker crust.
Enjoy!! And please comment if you have any questions or success stories to share.
