Vegan Lemon and Blueberry Baked Cheesecake (gluten free)

Cheesecake is no joke to me! I love it; the creamy filling, the [vegan] buttery biscuit base, oh yes, give me that buttery crunchy biscuit base! This Vegan Lemon and Blueberry Baked Cheesecake cheesecake recipe is a yummy fruity twist on the classic lemon cheesecake. The swirl of the blueberries gives that perfect professional look, and the sweetness of the blueberries contrasts beautifully with the zing of the lemon! The base is made mostly from nuts and oats, and gives a nice crunch once cooked, and also happens to make it gluten free!. This is a great dinner party or birthday  dessert.

I’ve always been a cheesecake fan; let’s face it, it’s just an insanely good dessert. I also have a particular soft spot for baked cheesecake - where the base is even more biscuity and the filling more creamy. What’s great about this recipe is that you can choose any flavour, as the base stays the same, and you just need to replace the lemon and blueberry ingredients with something else. Uh oh, a chocolate cheesecake recipe may be coming to a screen near you very soon….

Let’s start with the base. Some cheesecake recipes get you to crush a packet of biscuits, add some vegan margarine and be done with it. The reason we haven’t done that, is that it is so easy to make this base, and we like to know what’s in our food. Also, we love the nutty flavour from the almonds, and it gives more protein to the dish. You don’t have to use almonds - I’ve used walnuts in another cheesecake and it was delicious. You can use any kind or oat, or if you don’t want to use oats, you can use quinoa flakes (these look very similar to oats). Coconut oil works really well in the base, and it really doesn’t taste coconutty (if that’s what you’re worried about, and if that’s even a word!). 

The filling! Yum time! This is mostly made from cashews and silken tofu (lots more protein there) and coconut cream, which gives it a lovely smooth texture. You can use any kind of sugar you want, but if you’re going for that whiter look on the cheesecake, use caster sugar. For the lemon flavour, I’ve used both lemon zest and lemon juice. If you just want to do lemon cake, leave out the blueberries. Or if you want to try a new flavour altogether, like chocolate and strawberry, just add some cacao or cocoa powder, and some chopped / whole strawberries!

This scrumptious Vegan Lemon and Blueberry Baked Cheesecake is best enjoyed with vegan single cream or vegan vanilla ice cream!

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Vegan Lemon and Blueberry Baked Cheesecake (gluten free)

This vegan, gluten free, lemon and blueberry baked cheesecake recipe is a slight twist on the classic lemon cheesecake by adding blueberries. The swirl of the blueberries gives that perfect professional look, and the sweetness of the blueberries contrasts beautifully with the zing of the lemon! The base is made mostly from nuts and oats, and gives a nice crunch once cooked. This is a great dinner party or birthday dessert.

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5 from 1 vote

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Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, High Tea, pudding

Cuisine: American, british, French, Vegan, vegetarian

Keyword: biscuit, biscuit base, blueberry cheesecake, cashew, cheesecake, dairyfree, lemon cheesecake, vegan cake, vegan cheese, vegan cheesecake, vegan dessert

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Vanessa Sturman

Ingredients

Biscuit Base

• 60 g oats / quinoa flakes (use gluten free oats if desired)
• 65 g almonds
• 25 g coconut palm sugar / caster sugar
  
  
• ½ tsp salt
• 20 g milled (blended) linseed
  
  
• 40 g coconut oil / vegan margarine, melted
  
  

Cheesecake Filling

• 1.5 cups (180g) cashews (soaked in hot water for an hour, then drained)
• 100 g coconut cream (can be bought in tins, or take a can of coconut milk and put in the fridge for a few hours, then scoop the cream off the top)
• 2 tbsp arrowroot starch / cornstarch / tapioca starch 
• 1 pack silken tofu (Clearspring silken tofu is great)
• 90 g coconut palm sugar / caster sugar (use white sugar for a more white colour, coconut palm sugar makes it brown)
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil (optional - adds extra creaminess)
  
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 2 cups blueberries (frozen works very well)
  
  

Toppings

• Zest of Lemon
  
  
• Fresh blueberries

Instructions

Biscuit Base

• Preheat oven to 180 C. 
• Make the base by blending up all the dry ingredients. Then blend with the melted coconut oil / vegan margarine.
• Use either a spring form cake tin to make one large cheesecake, or muffin tins (lined with paper muffin cases) or use bottomless ramekins greased with vegan margarine or coconut oil for several smaller ones. Spoon the crust mix into the ramekins / muffin cases and press down on the mix so it is compact.
• Cook the bases in the oven for 10 minutes (or a 15 minutes for a cruncher base!). Once done, leave to cool.

Cheesecake filling

• Keep oven at 180 C.
• To make the filling, blend all ingredients in a processor, except the blueberries. Once blended put the mixture into a large bowl and gentle stir in the blueberries.
• Spoon the mixture over each mini base.
• Bake the cheesecakes for 30-35 minutes, or until they start to go a slight golden brown on the top.
• Once baked, leave to cool for 20 minutes or so, then remove from the ramekins.
• Decorate with fresh blueberries and lemon zest, and serve with vegan single cream or vegan vanilla ice-cream!