I just can’t get enough caramel in my life!
And Vegan Twix Cheesecake is the best way to do it!
It’s just so easy to convert my best cheesecake recipe to gluten free
By simply swapping gluten free cookies for the crust and leaving out the flour or use a gluten free blend to help bind
Check out my new trick for super thick vegan caramel!
#1 Using creamed coconut in place of the coconut cream or plant milk
This made the caramel so thick that when I cut the cheesecake the caramel stayed in place, which is exactly what we want when serving caramel desserts!
However be aware that the taste was extremely coconut from that super concentrated creamed coconut!
#2 Whipping the freshly made caramel with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes as it cools will get it even thicker still!
Fear not, as I have several options for vegan caramel so I know you will find one recipe that suits you best!
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CARAMEL SHORT VIDEO ON YOUTUBE!
There is no video for how to make this Twix Cheesecake, but you can watch the making of the regular Vanilla Cheesecake base recipe
CLICK HERE TO WATCH HOW TO MAKE THE BEST VEGAN CHEESECAKE RECIPE
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Notes for Success:
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!
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
Twix Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- Your favorite vanilla cookie 280g for approx 2½ cups crushed
- Vegan Butter 6 Tablespoons (85g)
For the Cheesecake:
- Vegan Cream Cheese 16ounce (454g) *see notes
- Vegan Butter melted 2 tablespoons (28g)
- Granulated Sugar 1 cup (200g)
- Cornstarch 4 Tablespoons (32g) *see notes
- Plant Milk 6fl oz (177ml)
- Vegan Lactic Acid or apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon
- Salt ¼ teaspoon
- Vanilla Extract 3 teaspoons (15ml)
For the Caramel:
- Granulated Sugar 2 cups (400g)
- Water 6 Tablespoons (90ml)
- White Vinegar 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- Salt 1 teaspoon
- Creamed Coconut 6oz package *see notes above in article
- OR Full Fat Canned Coconut Milk 1 cup (240ml)
- Vegan Butter 2 Tablespoons (28g)
for the icing
Instructions
- Grease & parchment line a 7" cake pan Preheat the oven to 350°F
The prep time does not reflect the chilling time that is required for the cheesecake to set - First prepare the cookie crust by crushing them in a food processor (or in a bag with a rolling pin by hand) to fine crumbs.
- Add the melted vegan butter and pulse until it resembles wet sand
- Press the crumbs into the prepared greased & parchment lined cake pan evenly on the bottom and up the sides.
- Freeze while you prepare the cheesecake batter
- Placing all of the cheesecake ingredients into the work bowl of your food processor and pulse to blend
- Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure an even mix then blend again to a smooth mixture
- Pour the batter into the crust and bake in a water bath in a preheated 350°F and bake for 60 minutes
- After 60 minutes turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door cracked open to cool slowly for another 60 minutes
- Remove the cheesecake & cool completely at room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set or overnight before unmolding.
- Next make the caramel by combing the sugar, vinegar & water together in a heavy bottom sauce pot, stirring to dissolve the sugar before it comes to a boil
- Once the sugar mixture is boiling DO NOT STIR
- Bring to 300° or 320°F or once the color of the syrup turns from pale yellow to medium amber then remove it from the heat
- Let the pot stand for about an minute then add the creamed coconut OR the coconut milk and the vegan butter ~gently~ while stirring BE VERY CAREFUL AS THE HOT SUGAR SYRUP WILL BUBBLE UP & SPATTER!
- Add the salt & vanilla extract then pour into a heat proof container to cool slightly
- Pour the caramel into the work bowl of your stand mixer with the balloon attachment and whip on low speed first to be sure there is so spattering, then slowly increase the speed to medium and whip for about 8-10 minutes.
- The caramel will cool as you whip while incorporating air, turning it lighter and thicker.
- Prepare the vegan ganache recipe as per the instructions on that recipe post and reserve until needed
- Once the cheesecake is baked and fully cooled you can un mold it simply by submerging the pan into a bowl of hot water to release the fats, run a spatula along the sides then flip it out onto a plate & then re-flip it right side up onto your serving platter.
- Spread the cold, thick caramel over top then spread the cooled ganache
Notes
Twix Cheesecake must stay refrigerated at all times and will stay fresh for up to 1 week
I do not like to freeze vegan cheesecake as I feel that the texture changes drastically when thawed, this is your option
Have you tried Flora Heavy Cream.
It’s vegan, GF, nut free, and coconut free and it’s amazing!!
I have not! I have a verrrrry hard time getting vegan ingredients where I live 🙁
Hi Gretchen,
Thank you for another great recipe!
I just wanted to ask you if there was another cream cheese other than Tofutti I could use. Sometimes the stores around me carry it, but most times not.
Thanks again!!
Karen
Hi Karen, I have not had success with any other brand in my BAKED cheesecakes besides Tofutti. I cannot even GET another brand of vegan cream cheese where I live now either!
Some people have told me that Kite Hill works in my recipe though
When I baked the cheesecake portion, it came out really liquidy——even after 70 minutes. Do you think it could be because this recipe didn’t include the 3 tablespoons of flour that your other recipes call for? I’ve made many of your cheesecakes snd they’ve all been incredible. I’ve never had this happen before….?
Oh no! I indeed left out the flour so it would gluten free, And also used 100% tofutti cream cheese total 16ounces (sometimes I use tofu in place of some of the cream cheese ~ about 4ounces, but this time went straight cream cheese)
I baked for 60min 350 and then left it in the oven for another 60min with the oven off. I did let it set in the refrigerator over night and it was perfect the next day.
Ok thank you….maybe I’ll try putting the flour in next time to see if that helps. Thanks again! 😊
Gretchen, do you have a cheesecake recipe that just uses regular or silken tofu? I cannot get vegan cream cheese where I live in the Baltics and really miss cheesecake. I suspect I’m not the only one of your fans who just can’t find these products. Thank you!
Hi, so my wife tried making this recipe and it looked like it turned out great until we removed the cake out of the spring form pan and water got into the cake. Now I’m not sure why that happened I’m not sure if we didn’t get a better version of the pan idk… she also wasn’t sure if the water should have been heated so put everything in the oven at the same time… we also used parchment paper on the spring form pan and water still go under the cake. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance!
P.S. we tried violife cream cheese cause we didn’t realized you used tofutti in your notes. The flavor was epic and from what ate it was amazing!
First of all wow I am excited to here that Violife works! It surely DID NOT when I tried it back in 2018-19
Perhaps they have changed their formula?
I cannot get that brand near me anymore, honestly I cannot get much vegan anymore, so I have resorted to using Tofutti Sour Cream which I can thankfully still get and since the ingredients from sour cream to cream cheese are literally identical, I tried it and it works GREAT!
Anyway, I got out of the habit of linking to my article “WHY I NEVER USE SPRINGFORM PANS” and I think you may have benefited from that article before beginning!
CLICK HERE AND SEE WHY!
First off let me say HELLO and I’m pleased to have found you thru the Plant-Based Vegan Bundle! I have a question about granulated sugar… can coconut sugar be used as a replacement in your cake recipes?
Hi Teresa! Thank you and welcome! While I’m an old school baker converting all of my New Jersey Bakery recipes to vegan I will confess I don’t go the healthier route here on my website!! First of all ~ my peeps had a conniption when I went vegan, they would absolutely freak out if I tried to go “healthy vegan” on them! LOL
Not to mention so many others are already doing that, so I keep it old school.
BUT I will say I sometimes delve into healthier bakes for ME at home and I do know that using coconut sugar as a straight up sub for granulated sugar in CAKE RECIPES (and I’ve tried it in cookies as well) is going to give you a dry result.
But for something like this cheesecake recipe – it will be great!
Just for a little science explanation (*I know, I’m often too wordy) BUT~ I like people to understand what is happening!
Cake recipes typically rely on the sugar not only for sweetness but for tenderness in the crumb as well. If you have ever tried to cut back on sugar in a cake recipe you probably ended up with a cornbread like texture!
That’s why.
Additionally sugar acts as a mechanical leavener in a recipe that calls for creaming of the butter & sugar so to use coconut sugar there, it sort of gets “pasty” rather than creamed & nice & fluffy
*yep I’ve tried! LOL
SO the LONG ANSWER is preferably only sub in HALVE of the granulated with coconut sugar & use granulated for the other half
Again this is primarily in recipes that call for creaming of the butter & sugar