Whatever your choice, traditional or chocolate they are both delicious
Getting ready for Shavuot.
Next week is Shavuoth, the festival where cheesecake, cheese blintzes and many other dairy dishes takes centre stage.
Over the next two weeks, I will give you my favourite Shavuot recipes, not only dairy ones because there are many people like me, but that are also dairy intolerant, or those who don’t like dairy food, or are vegan.
Today I am sharing two of my favourite cheesecake recipes, one traditional baked cheesecake, & one vegan that tastes so good people don’t realise its not a “real” cheesecake.
Traditional Lemon Baked Cheesecake Serves 6 to 8
In our family Auntie Helen was the cheesecake maker, she produced it for every family party, although all of us could make cheesecake none ever was a good as Auntie Helens.
Also, there are over a million types of cheesecake recipes this classical version is the most tempting and it freezes well.
Ingredients
130 grammes or 12 ounces or a generous half cup of butter melted plus a bit extra for greasing.
350 grammes or 12 ounces of digestive biscuits crushed.
350 grammes or 12 ounces or 1.5 cups of full fat soft white cheese cream cheese, or Philadelphia cheese.
350 grammes 12 ounces or one- and three-quarter cups of caster sugar
Three eggs lightly beaten.
half a teaspoon. 10 ml of good quality vanilla essence
350 grammes 12 ounces or 1.5 cups of sour cream
Zest of ½ a lemon
Method
Take a 9 inch or 23-centimetre springform cake tin grease the sides and place a baking paper circle on the bottom.
In a bowl mix together your biscuit crumbs with about one tablespoon of the sugar and your melted butter then press the mixture to cover the base and a little bit of the sides of the spring form tin pressing it down with the back of a spoon. put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Pre heat your oven to 130 190 centigrade 375 Fahrenheit or gas mark 5.
Place your all your eggs cheese, 1/4 of the sour cream, ¾ of the sugar together with the vanilla extract in bowl or in a food processor mix well until all combined well.
Remove your biscuit base from the fridge pour the mixture over it.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a cocktail stick insert it in the centre comes out clean.
Leave the to cool slightly for about 10 minutes. (don’t turn off your oven)
Meanwhile fully combine the rest of the sour cream remaining sugar and lemon zest
When the cake has cooled a bit pour the sour cream mixture over the top spreading it out evenly then return the cake return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes to give you a creamy glaze
Leave at room temperature to cool down then chill for at least an hour before serving.
Serve it straight, or with berries for an extra treat.
Chocoholics Gluten Free Vegan “Cheesecake”
Over the years I have tried and tested many vegan or dairy free “cheesecake” recipes, both baked and non-baked, this has become my favourite. One year I served it to a very discerning group of guests, after a fish meal, and they agreed this was an excellent substitute for the dairy intolerant.
Ingredients
For the crust
2 packets of gluten free digestive or ginger biscuits crumbed very finely.
8 oz or 225 grams of melted vegan butter, or Tomar.
½ teaspoon ground ginger if not using ginger biscuits
For the filling
450 grams or 1 lb pounds firm unflavoured tofu
½ cup, 4oz 125 grams soft brown sugar
¼ cup dairy-free milk (I use either pea or coconut milk)
1/4 cup maple syrup, or agave syrup
The juice of a lemon
1 tablespoons corn flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract,
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups of dairy-free chocolate chips
For decoration
1 tablespoon of coco powder mixed with ½ tablespoon icing sugar.
A punnet of raspberry’s washed and dried
Method
Take a 9 inch or 23-centimetre springform cake tin grease the sides.
Mix the ingredients for the crust together well, and press into the cake tin, making sure you have covered it evenly. Place into the fridge to chill for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 F 170 C gas mark 4.
Put all the ingredients apart from the chocolate chips into a food processor or use a stick blender and mix very well.
Melt the chocolate chips and add to the filling mixture and mix again.
Pour the mixture into the chilled crust.
Bake for an hour until the centre doesn’t jiggle.
Allow to cool completely then chill for an hour, sprinkle the coco and icing sugar over the top before removing the spring form tin & serving.
This is delicious with Raspberries as the combination of chocolate and raspberries is one that is hard to better!