There is nothing better than hearing people exclaim “No Way this is vegan!”
All the non vegans in my life have been astonished by my cheesecake recipes, especially this apple crumb cheesecake!
With just two simple recipes you can make this amazing cheesecake
Everyone will be all up in their feelings about this one, changing how folks feel about vegan desserts!
I have also made this recipe into individual miniature cheesecakes with great success!
So if you have that special individual cheesecake pan or even a cupcake pan will work too!
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Notes for Success:
Tofutti Cream Cheese is the only brand I will use for my BAKED recipes *not sponsored
I had not had success with any other brand in BAKED recipes; for some reason some other brands I’ve tried have broken down into an oily mess when baked.
However more recently I tried Violife again and it works! Although I still prefer the Tofutti brand
Cornstarch is 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.
Many times people have complained that their cheesecake is like rubber and they don’t know why!
For the crust I’m using a blend of gingersnap cookies & graham crackers but you can use all of one or the other as you prefer.
7″ cake pans are always my choice for cheesecakes, not springform pans!
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHY!
NOTE ABOUT THE STREUSEL!
You will have more than you need with the recipe listed below
But it will store great in the freezer in a bag for up to 3 months to use for another project!
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS CHEESECAKE
Apple Crumb Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- Graham Crackers 6 sheets (approx 1 cup of crumbs)
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Light Brown Sugar 2 tablespoons *optional
- Vegan Butter Melted 4 Tablespoons (56g)
- Ground Cinnamon ¼ teaspoon
- Ground Ginger ¼ teaspoon
For the Cheesecake
- Vegan Cream Cheese 12oz (170g) * see ntoes
- Firm Tofu 4 ounces (112g)
- Melted Vegan Butter 2 tablespoons (28g)
- Sugar ¾ cup (150g)
- Cornstarch 4 Tbs (32g)
- All Purpose Flour 3 Tablespoons (24g)
- Ground Cinnamon ½ teaspoon *I forgot to mention this ingredient in the video
- Plant Milk scant cup - 7 fluid ounces (207ml)
- Vegan Lactic Acid 1½ teaspoons (or 1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar)
- Salt ¼ teaspoon
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons
for the topping
- ½ Can Apple Pie Filling
- Or ½ Recipe Homemade Apple Filling
- For the Streusel Topping *See notes
for the streusel
- Vegan Light Brown Sugar Packed 2½ Tablespoons (35g)
- Vegan Granulated Sugar 4 tablespoons (50g)
- Salt ¼ teaspoon
- Ground Cinnamon ¼ teaspoon
- Vegan Butter 5 Tablespoons (70g)
- Cake Flour ¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon (98g)
Instructions
- First prepare the streusel topping by combing brown sugar, granulated sugar and vegan butter and get it creaming on medium high speed.
- Add the cinnamon and salt and then the flour and mix until it comes together and it will look like a soft cookie dough
- Sprinkle it out onto a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze while you prepare the cheesecake.
- If you are making your own apple pie filling, prepare the recipe according to the instructions on that blog post. then reserve.
- Next make the crust combine the melted vegan butter with the graham crumbs and ginger cookies, the spices and the sugar into a food processor and process to the consistency of wet sand.
- Press it into the bottom of a greased and parchment lined 7" cake pan and then freeze while you prepare the cheesecake batter
- For the cheesecake combine all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender and process smooth
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust and bake in a water bath in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes then carefully remove the cheesecake, it will not be fully baked, top with the apple pie filling and then the frozen streusel crumbs ~ just about ¾ of a cup total *see notes above
- Return cheesecake carefully to the oven for another 30 minutes to bake the rest of the way
- After the total 75 minutes of bake time, turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake inside to cool for another 40 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight before un molding.
- Drizzle with optional sugar glaze which is just a mixture of confectioners sugar and plant milk~ I usually do 1 cup : 1 tbs adjust to your desired consistency
Notes
Cheesecake must be stored in the refrigerator and will stay fresh for up to 10 days wrapped well.
I do not like the way vegan cheesecake freezes, the texture changes and gets grainy
this cake looks very delicious
Yummy yummy. I like the inclusion of the tofu to lighten it up. Balances out the fat:protein ratio a little too. Good call Gretchen.
Yes me too! I actually prefer it so much to the all cream cheese recipe
The Plant Based Egg product is kind of pricey on Amazon for the amount used (have to buy 3 bags for $27). Is there another egg replacer you’ve tested that could be substituted?
Because of the unique ingredients in The Plant Based Egg (as compared to the other proprietary blends like Bobs or Neat Egg for example) I do prefer it. I only use 1 tsp in this recipe, so I am not relying on it for the main binder, however I like the little addition it gives compared to just cornstarch. To me it adds just that little help of texture that resembles a NY cheesecake, but this is from the written post:
You will notice I am also using the Plant Based Egg egg replacement in this recipe, and while it is not imperative, I do think it adds to the final texture and creaminess of the cheesecake. If you do not have it or do not want to buy it, you can leave it out no changes.
So you can of course leave it out, or try another blend. The price is comparable to the others on the market (however I know it is only on Amazon at a 3 pack option- that was Amazon not us deciding how it was to be sold) The website for The Plant Based Egg is almost finished being built and will be for sale at 1 bag at a time, $8 with $6 shipping (that’s the USPS shipping rates, not ours LOL)
OR you can order now through the facebook page CLICK HERE Deborah will be happy to ship it to you! 🙂
Thanks!
Question! I don’t have a round cake tin, only a spring form pan (sorry!). Do you think this recipe will work without the water bath? The sprlng form pan is not completely waterproof…
Yes it will work. You will have to wrap it in foil though so the water doesn’t seep in 🙂
Ooh yes why didn’t I think of that? Thank you!
Is there a reason you use Tofutti instead of Kite Hill or Miyokos?
Also, I’m making this in a 6 inch pan. I’ve tried using this exact recipe in a 6 inch and it changed the cook time and made the cheesecake too tall for my liking. How would you convert this recipe to a 6” pan?
I think the tofutti works GREAT in baking. I have tried Kite Hill and I did not prefer it. The only time I like Kite Hill (ricotta) is in my lasagna recipe but NOT for baking. However it is all preference and you can certainly use one over the other if you prefer.
I would do 3/4 of the recipe for a 6″ pan, just be careful of your math (double check yourself) since meth errors and measuring are typically where recipes fails start
Hi Gretchen! Do you use silken firm tofu or “regular” firm tofu?
I use firm tofu. If you do not want to use the tofu you can replace with an equal amount more cream cheese
My question was not about the use of firm tofu per se, but the KIND of firm tofu used. Silken firm tofu and regular firm tofu are very different in terms of texture, which means that they produce different results.
Yes I see, I use regular firm tofu. Not silken at all.
Hi there!
Does using apple cider vinegar instead of the lactic acid change the taste or texture at all?
Thanks!
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes!
Do you need to press the tofu before using!
nope!
Hi,
I’m in the U.K. and don’t have that cream cheese. Will Violife work/do you recommend another brand or certain ingredients of a brand to avoid/look out for?
Indigo
Hey there, I have not had any luck with any brand beside Tofutti. Violife was my biggest disaster! CLICK HERE TO SEE IT!
I made this today and OMG it so good! My first successful vegan cheesecake! It tastes like the original! I live in Germany and I used the vegan Philadelphia cream cheese (made with almonds) and it worked great.
I love your recipes, hands down my favorite. They are always so tasty and turn out really great especially for a beginner like me.
If I wanted to double the quantities in a 20 cm pan (this is our standard size here, it’s almost 8 inches) to get a taller cheesecake, should I also double the baking time?
Thank you!!
YAY! awesome! If you make a deep[er cheesecake yes you will surely have to increase bake time, but I am not so sure double will be needed! Click here for how to know when your cheesecake it done!