Chocolate Berry Tofu "Cheesecake" - Dairy & Gluten free/Vegan

I've always wanted to experiment with different kinds of baking - in particular for people with allergies and easy baking (few ingredients and steps). I always wished that they could enjoy the range of sweets and desserts that we can. After searching for many recipes, I've put off gluten free and dairy free baking just because it would take extra trips to different shops to get the ingredients. Also a lot of the recipes require a lot of ingredients that I don't normally use. Looking at the recipes, I give up as well. My style of baking is a few ingredients and simple method. So when a recipe require 3-4 different nuts, this kind of flour, this oil etc I think that it's too much effort.

Anyway, after months of putting it off and seeing that my colleague can't eat any of the baking I bring in (which I have to thank my colleagues for being my guinea pigs for and might be a good thing for her) I decided to search a bit harder. I found some gluten/dairy free biscuits at Countdown so I've got my base sorted, using coconut oil to replace the usual butter. Since it was first time using coconut oil, I wasn't sure how it would turn out but it was actually perfect. It also adds flavour to the base.

I was debating between rushing to a health food store to get dairy free cream cheese but since I finish work quite late I wasn't keen on the idea. Then I remembered that on the New Zealand MKR, one couple made a tofu cheesecake. After a quick search for the recipe, I got and was relieved there were no dairy/gluten ingredients. Also, there were only 3 major ingredients so it fit the bill perfectly. I also loved the fact that you could throw everything in the blender. So the filling has been taken from that recipe - which can be found here.

I was still a bit skeptical about how it would turn out but after making it, I was surprised at the flavours and consistency of the cheesecake. It was actually delicious even though the presentation wasn't MKR! Long story short, this had prompted me to write this up because it's one of the few recipes that easy, yum and only contains a few ingredients and equipment (I don't like to do a lot of washing!).

Choc Berry Tofu Cheesecake - gluten and dairy free, vegan.

INGREDIENTS

Base

250g Gluten Free Arrowroot biscuits
50ml Coconut oil


Filling

700g Smooth Silken tofu
200g dairy free choc (75% cocoa solids or Whittaker’s dark 60%- 75%
150 - 200ml Maple syrup

Optional ingredients
1tsp lime zest
1tsp vanilla paste
1 pinch sea salt


METHOD

Base

1. Line the bottom of a 23-25cm diameter springform tin with baking paper.

2. In a food processor, process all the base ingredients to a fine crumb.

3. Press the crumb into the bottom of the tin in an even layer, fairly firmly. Pop in the fridge.



Filling (adapted from http://mkrnz.co.nz/recipes/choc-berry-tofu-cheesecake)


1. First use a muslin cloth (or paper towel on a colander) to soak the liquid from the tofu, squeeze as much out as possible

2. Boil water in a small pot, add chocolate in small pieces to a heat proof bowl. Melt choc in bowl that's on top of the bowl.

3. Put tofu in to food processor, whiz till combined.

4. Add melted chocolate while whizzing.

5. Add maple syrup and the optional ingredients.

6. Whiz till smooth.

7. Add the chocolate mix on top and cool in the fridge to chill 15-20 mins or the freezer for 2-4 hours (if you want a cheese cake consistency)


Tips:
- I used the Trade Aid dark chocolate chips
- You could use a bit of gelatine dissolved in water if you want a firmer consistency – that would make it non-vegan
- If you don't have a blender/food processor, you can easily use a whisk and some arm muscle (like what I did)
 - The tofu I used was made for steaming so it was really soft and smooth so was easy to break apart - you can find this in most Asian Supermarkets
- I used golden syrup – but honey or any sweetener would work too. I only used 150ml so do it by taste