Lemon "Cheesecake"

Vegan Lemon "Cheesecake"
Originally uploaded by M Molina

This is one of the two cakes I made this past weekend. The Husband and I both enjoyed it, though I think my family thought it was odd. For the record, they are inherently skeptical of anything not made from dead animal parts, high fructose corn syrup, and good ol' fashioned American trans fats.

I based it on this recipe with a few modifications and additions. You can really taste the tahini, which I think is kinda fun. Anyhow, here's how I made it:

The day before making the cake, candy the peels of 4 lemons.

The day of, maketh the caketh thusly...

• 1 store-bought vegan graham cracker crust
  
• 1 lb. firm tofu
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  
• 1 tablespoon tahini
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  
• 2 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in 
  
• 2 tablespoons low-fat vanilla oat milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender and flip the switch until smooth. Pour the mixture (ours was quite thick and we employed the aid of a spatula to get it all out of the blender) into the crust and bake until the top is slightly brown - about 30 minutes.
3. When the cake is done, allow to cool on the countertop. When able, put it in the refrigerator to cool at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Just before serving, top with sliced, fresh strawberries, candied lemon peel, and whipped soy topping.

The next time I make this cake, I'm going to try silken tofu instead of firm. I didn't understand why the original recipe called for firm tofu when the end goal is to blend it up. I think I'll also add more lemon zest and perhaps and tablespoon or two more lemon juice, depending on the consistency of the batter.

But for a first crack at this recipe, I think it came out really good ... and it's pretty, too!