These mini cheese cakes are a no bake recipe actually, which means you don’t need to put them in the oven. So they are perfect for summer, but you can have them in any season. They are also great for pot luck or if you want to create a bit of a show-stopping vegan dessert for a party (once they are allowed again). But don’t worry, they are really easy to make actually. And you probably have most ingredients at home already.
When I first showed the finished recipe video to two friends I got two different reactions. Both aren’t vegan but both loved it, though one said even I can make it, but my other friend said it looks so pretty, it must be difficult. But fear not, they are much easier to make than they look! And for me they were very fun to make because I love a creative challenge! 😉
So whether you are a beginner or an experienced chef, you will find they are super easy to make. You may have also seen lots of vegan cheese cake recipes out there but I always found them very heavy and I felt full after just one bite. So I wanted to develop a recipe that tastes much lighter and feels more like an original cheese cake without all the fat you get. So these little plant-based cheese cakes are actually made with corn starch (when heated the starch gelatinises and binds the soy milk when cooling down). They are also gluten-free (as long as you use gluten-free oats) and I didn’t use any oil either.
INGREDIENTS:
Step 1: cake base ingredients:
100g pistachios
75g (gluten-free) oats
6 tbsp syrup (e.g. agarve syrup)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Step 2:
2 small water bottles
Step 3: lime cheese cake cream ingredients:
500ml plant-based milk (soy, almond,…)
Juice of 1 lime
6 tbsp syrup (e.g. agarve syrup)
50g corn starch
2 tsp vanilla extract
Step 4:
Zest of 2 limes
Step 5:
Some pistachios to sprinkle on top
METHOD:
Step 1:
Add all ingredients from this step to a food processor and blend until you get a coarse texture. You may have to scrape down the sides if the mixture sticks to the sides of the food processor and repeat this step until you get a nice sticky mixture. If you don’t have a food processor you could also use a blender and blend the pistachios and oats separately, add them to a bowl and then mix in the two other wet ingredients afterwards and knead until you get a mixture that sticks together well.
Step 2:
Take two clean small water bottles and cut out 3 equal size rings of each bottle. These will be your moulds to hold the cake. Place the ring moulds on a sheet of baking paper (this way takes will come off easier and not stick to your kitchen surface or cutting board). Now spoon the mixture from step 1 into these moulds and push down with your finger so you get an even cake base layer.
Step 3:
Add all ingredients from this step to a blender cup and then blend for a couple of seconds until there are no lumps.
Step 4:
Pour the blended ingredients from step 3 into a pan and then add the zest of 2 limes. Heat up on medium to high heat and stir constantly until the liquid starts to thicken (it happens because the starch reacts with the heat and gelatinises).
Step 5:
Then spoon the cheese cake cream from step 4 into the ring moulds on top of the cake base. Sprinkle some crushed pistachios on top and then let them set in the fridge for two hours. You can also let them set outside the fridge but it will take a bit longer and they actually taste better when they are chilled.
When they have set, remove the moulds and serve with a slice of lime on top. Enjoy!
