Recently I fell in love with No Bake Cheesecakes
And this Eggnog Cheesecake is no exception!
I have to admit I was never a fan of eggnog as a drink
Since it is basically drinkable custard which I always thought was really weird!
But eggnog cheesecake? Oh yeah I’m in!
Cinnamon cookie crust and some whipped cream to top it off
And all your New Year wishes just came true!
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Notes for Success:
Typically you will see no bake cheesecake recipes using cashews as the base rather than vegan cream cheese
I am using both in this recipe because I love the combination and creamy result they bring however I understand it is difficult to find vegan cream cheese
The good news is this is a no bake recipe so you are not locked into Tofutti brand like my baked cheesecake recipe specifies
Brandy is used in traditional eggnog but I left it out of this recipe so I could share with my non alcoholic friends.
If you want to use it simply add 1½ Tablespoons added to the blender with the other ingredients
I use lactic acid in my cheesecake recipes to mimic that signature tang of authentic cheesecake
But if you do not have it or don’t want to buy it you can use apple cider vinegar in the same quantities as listed for the lactic acid
Agar can be a tricky ingredient in No Bake Desserts such as this one.
A heavy hand ~ even a pinch too much~ can be the difference between creamy delicious and rubbery inedible!
Pay attention to the strength of agar you are using in comparison to the one that author of the recipe is using
I typically use 900 strength in my recipes SPECIFICALLY THIS BRAND BY Landor Trading Co *not sponsored
Cornstarch is also a very difficult ingredient to measure consistently with a volume/spoons measure
So while I list both measures below I cannot stress enough how the grams measure with a scale is going to give you the best results.
CHECK OUT THE YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS EGGNOG CHEESECAKE
Eggnog Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- Graham Crackers (1 sleeve/package approx 10 sheets) 140g
- Vegan Butter melted 4 Tablespoons (56g)
- Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
For the Cheesecake Batter:
- Raw Cashews 2 cup (360g)
- Vegan Cream Cheese *see notes 12 ounces (336g)
- Granulated Sugar 1¼ cup (250g)
- Plant Milk any kind will do *I use vanilla soy milk 1½ cups (360ml)
- Cornstarch 6 Tablespoons (48g) *see notes above in text
- Nutmeg 1 teaspoon
- Agar powder ¾ teaspoon *see notes above in text
- Vanilla Extract 3 teaspoons
- Lactic Acid ½ teaspoon
for the icing
- ½ Recipe Vegan Whipped Cream
- Nutmeg for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- First soak the cashews in filtered water in the refrigerator overnight
- Or for a fast soak bring to a boil and then let them soak for 1 hour
- Drain the liquid and reserve the cashews
- Prepare the crust by crushing the graham crackers with the cinnamon in the food processor until fine crumbs
- Add the melted vegan butter and process until it resembles the consistency of wet sand
- Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a 7" springform pan with a parchment paper liner in the bottom & an acetate cake strip to line the rim of then pan for easy removeable
- Freeze until you are ready for the cheesecake filling
- For the cheesecake filling prepare a custard by combining the plant milk with the sugar, cornstarch, agar and nutmeg in a medium sauce pot whisking constantly over medium to high heat until it comes to a boil
- Remove from the heat and add it to a high speed blender with the soaked & drained cashews, the vegan cream cheese, lactic acid & vanilla extract
- Blend smooth then pour into onto the crust in the springform pan
- Refrigerate (or freeze) until firm and set
- Unmold and top with vegan whipped cream & a sprinkling of nutmeg or cinnamon
Notes
Eggnog cheesecake must be kept refrigerated and will stay fresh for up to 1 week.
I do not like the way no bake cheesecakes thaw so I prefer not to freeze them. They tend to get a grainy almost broken texture~ no longer creamy as when it was first made
What texture is it? With the agar agar ?thank you!
Did you watch the video? ALso I leave notes about working with agar in this recipe post so be sure to read that part too since agar can be a tricky ingredient to work with !
I’m on the fence about my approach on this one. I need to prepare it today for a party Monday and just realized I either have a 9” springform or a 7” cake pan but not a 7” springform. Since it’s no bake, I’m wondering if the 7” cake pan is fine or if I should increase the ingredients by 22ish% to use the 9” springform so it’s not super short.
Hi Brittany~ I know I am late to answer this one but for some reason I stopped getting notifications about questions here!
Too late now, but I am sure you sort of answered your own question! You are correct that putting this recipe into a 9″ diameter pan would leave you with a much thinner cake than desired.
I hope you increased the recipe!
I’m allergic to corn so hoping I can sub saw arrowroot for the corn starch…yes? Thanks your recipes look amazing . I am about to make the cannoli filling to use as a dip for my vegan Pizzelles !
Yes you can! ooh awesome sounds great!
I’m not familiar with lactic acid. What purpose does it serve and is it necessary in this recipe?
Also, what is an acetate cake strip?
Hey there, so lactic acid is a great way to add that signature “tang” to cheesecakes or any recipe really that calls for vegan cream cheese. If you do not want to buy it you can add apple cider vinegar in the same amount instead
Or skip it altogether, although I really think it adds that flavor that is missing from vegan cream cheese
While acetate cake strips are not 100% necessary it does make this cake project easier to wok with especially on the un-mold
If you skip to 3:49 in the video here where I am making this recipe from start to finish you can see me removing the acetate cake strip with ease for a really clean un-molded final cheesecake