I have been experimenting for a long time trying to make a really firm, dense, yet still creamy vegan plain “New York Style” cheesecake. This is the closest I’ve gotten, but you can still taste the delicate flavor of Japanese sweet potato (totally a good thing just not what I was originally after). This cheesecake is honestly awesome just on its own, it is decadent yet firm, without being too heavy, it’s creamy and it’s velvety. You could eat it plain or put any kind of sauce you want on top, really. But the blood orange sauce just tastes so good with the earthy sweetness of Japanese sweet potato.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup raw pecans

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

9 dates, pitted

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cheesecake batter:

2 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight

3 cups Japanese sweet potato, cooked and mashed

1/3 cup refined coconut oil

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

plus 1 recipe Blood Orange Dessert Sauce

Directions:

In a large food processor, combine all ingredients for the crust until no chunks are left and the mixture is easily pressed together. Press the mixture into an even layer on the bottom of an 8″ springform pan or 8″ circular cake pan, press the crust about 1″ up the sides of the pan too. If you use a cake pan I’d line it with parchment paper just to make it easy to get out of there. Next, blend together everything for the cheesecake batter until it’s super creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides and leaving no chunks at all. Depending on your blender or food processor, this might take up to ten minutes on high. Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust. At this point, you can either put the cheesecake straight into the refrigerator to chill overnight or for a browned top and a bit thicker consistency, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes then chill overnight. Just before serving, pour the blood orange sauce over top of entire cheesecake. Slice, enjoy, let me know how it goes!

Tips*

If you are worried about your cheesecake cracking in the oven (not something I actually ever care about, but yeah I know some people do), just double wrap the springform pan in aluminum foil and set it in a glass cake dish with about 1″ of water at the bottom. Bake it in the water bath, but be sure not to cover the top of the cheesecake with foil though, just the pan so water doesn’t seep in through the bottom.