Gloria’s Cheesecake

First Place

Finest Cooking Holiday Recipe Contest

Submitted by: Gloria Bain, SouthEastern Illinois Electric Cooperative

Gloria’s Cheesecake

This is a vegan cheesecake that has been getting rave reviews ever since I developed it over 20 years ago when I became a vegetarian. I served it in a vegan café I manager for over 5 years. The customers that came in from New York were very skeptical at first but were amazed when they tried it. They said it was just as good as their famous New York cheesecake, but didn’t leave them feeling heavy or overstuffed. I got the same comments from my sons who ask me to make it when I go visit them in Northern California. You can also switch it up by adding pumpkin to the filling for Thanksgiving and use a maple pecan topping instead.
Course Dessert
Servings 10

Ingredients

  • 1 individual pkg. graham crackers
  • 1 c. coconut
  • 1/2 c. Walnuts
  • 1/3 c. Salute Sante grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil
  • 3 pkgs. Tofutti cream cheese
  • 3/4 c. Florida Crystals (dried cane juice)
  • dash Cinnamon
  • 1 T. vanilla
  • 3 T. fresh lemon juice
  • 3 heaping T. Ener-G Egg Replacer
  • 1 container Toffuti sour cream
  • 5 T. fructose
  • 2 c. fruit juice (your choice, I like grape)
  • 1/2 c. fructose
  • 2 heaping T. cornstarch
  • 1/2 bag each frozen blueberries and raspberries

Instructions

  • In a blender, grind graham crackers into crumbs and set aside in a bowl.
  • Add coconut, walnuts and grapeseed oil to blender container and mix until blended together.
  • Mix together with graham cracker crumbs and pat into a spring form pan or 2 aluminum pie pans and bake for 9 minutes at 350 degrees.
  • In a mixing bowl, cream together Tofutti cream cheese, Florida Crystals and dash of cinnamon.
  • In another cup mix together vanilla, lemon juice and egg replacer. Add to cream cheese mixture and cream together well.
  • Pour into baked and cooled crust. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, add 10 minutes if using a springform pan.
  • Mix together Tofutti sour cream and 5 T. fructose. Pour over top of cheesecake and bake another 9 minutes.
  • In a saucepan, mix fruit juice, 1/2 c. fructose and cornstarch. Stir until smooth.
  • Add 1/2 bag each of blueberries and raspberries. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened.
  • Cool and spread on top of cooled cheesecake.
  • Refrigerate several hours or overnight. For special occasions, top with edible flowers.