Key Lime Cheesecake (vegan)

This show-stopping citrusy key lime cheesecake is about to blow your mind! And the best part, it’s vegan!

I have made a dozen different cheesecake flavours this year but I think this flavour takes the cake (pun intended). I am sucker for bold citrus flavours, especially lemon desserts, but I’ve not always given lime the time of day. However, after making this dessert I think it might possibly be my favourite. I’ve had key lime pie on my to-do for well over a year but I had some cream cheese in my fridge this weekend and I thought, why not throw together a key lime cheesecake?!

Also, if you’re a regular here I’ve some more good news, I’ve improved the filling of this recipe to make it even more creamy and lighter but without losing that rich and delicious cheesecake flavour.

If lime cheesecake isn’t your cup of tea then not to fret – check out my other cheesecake recipes here! Or click on any of the photos below!

If you’re reading this blog post and you’re not vegan you might be wondering, what will replace the cream cheese in this? Well fortunately for us, there are dozens of vegan creams available on the market. They vary in flavour, texture and quality so for a dessert like this you’re looking for something firm and relatively neutral in flavour. Avoid those that include garlic or herbs at all costs!

Now the cheesecake filling needs a little something extra on top of the vegan cream or else it’ll be too heavy. The main options we have available to us are: 

• creamed (white) nuts such as cashew or macademia;
• vegan cream (soy or oat based)
• coconut cream (taken from the top of a chilled can of coconut milk);
• silken tofu

I have used all of the above in various proportions but for this recipe I wanted something lighter to allow the fresh lime flavour to shine. In light of this, I used coconut cream and silken tofu. Coconut cream compliments the flavour of lime without dominating the dessert and it’s very thick so the structure is solid. Silken tofu however is exceptionally soft so to keep this cheesecake firm I introduced some cornstarch to stabilise the structure. This adds a small amount of extra effort but the payoff is absolutely KILLER.

Baking tips:

I get many questions asking if it’s possible to swap the icing sugar for another sweetener. This is absolutely possible! You can use any granulated/powder sugar in a 1:1 substitution such as coconut sugar or granulated sugar. However, if you want to use liquid sweetener, this will introduce more liquid to the filling so we have to account for that. My suggestion would be to increase the use of cornstarch so we have more setting power; something like 5-10g more would do the trick!

It is absolutely essential that you use firm coconut cream. Anything other type of liquid coconut cream or creamed coconut or coconut milk will not work.

The two safest option are either buying a can of “coconut whipping cream” or putting a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight and scooping the cream off the top. If you use coconut milk, make sure to use a can which has minimal preservatives (guar gum is bad news) as these affect the texture. If you’re based in the US, use this guide by Minimalist Baker on the top 10 brands to use for coconut cream. I personally prefer Nature’s Charm “coconut whipping cream”.

Lastly, do be mindful not to introduce any excess liquids to the filling. The structure really suffers when the hydration is too high. A good example is when you adding the silken tofu; make sure there’s no residual liquid on the tofu when you add it to the food processor.

It’s also a personal preference but I like to finish off all my cheesecakes with a jelly layer. Since we don’t use gelatin, the vegan substitute for the setting agent is agar agar powder. If you’re not familiar, agar is a naturally gelatinous powder derived from marine red algae. It mimics a lot of the qualities of gelatin but it has a unique texture- slightly more crumbly and more of a bite than gelatin. It’s a super popular ingredient in Asian desserts such as jelly cakes so you’ll often find it for cheap in your local Asian supermarket! If you can’t find agar agar powder then here is the conversion for other forms it comes in:

1 tsp of powdered agar = 1 tbsp agar flakes = 1/3 cup agar strings =will set 350ml (1 1/3 cup of liquid) into a firm jelly.

Use slightly less agar for a softer jelly but too little and the jelly will fall apart. 

If you’re in the UK, here’s a list of exact products I used for this recipe:

• For the coconut cream, buy these cans of coconut whipping cream. If you don’t have access to cans of coconut whipping cream then chill some cans of coconut milk in the fridge overnight and then scoop out the cream from the top of the can!

• I buy my agar wholesale online because I use it so often but it’s also sold in Waitrose (or plenty of Asian supermarkets).
• McVitie’s Digestives (accidentally vegan) for the base (if you’re gluten-free you can buy these gluten-free biscuits). If you’re in the US, use graham crackers!
• I use Sugar Flair green gel food colouring for the jelly layer. 
• My go-to vegan block butter is the one from Naturli.
• For the vegan cream cheese, I used 2 x packs of the Violife cream cheese original.

For this recipe you’ll need:

• 8-inch springform cake tin (ideally a push-through cake tin to get smooth edges)
• food processor/blender

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Key Lime Cheesecake (vegan)

August 6, 2021

Servings: 12

Prep: 20 min

Total: 1 hr

Difficulty: Medium

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This delicious and citrusy vegan key lime cheesecake is the Summer dessert of your dreams. The sour jelly combined with the rich creaminess of the cheesecake filling is balanced perfectly with a salty, crunchy biscuit base.

By: Project Vegan Baking

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 160g vegan biscuits
• 70g vegan butter, melted (or coconut oil)
• pinch of salt
• Filling:
• 400g vegan cream cheese (2 x packs)
• 200g silken tofu, extra firm
• 250g coconut cream
• 35g cornstarch
• 60ml lime juice (3 limes)
• 1 tbsp lime zest or 1 tsp lime extract
• 120g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla paste (or 1 vanilla bean) (optional)
• pinch of salt
• Jelly layer:
• 125ml lime juice
• 150ml water
• 60g granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp agar agar powder
• 1 drop green food colouring

Directions

• Step 1 Crust: Pulse the biscuits in a food processor until they are completely crushed. Add the melted butter and salt and process until well combined.
• Step 2 Place a circular disk of parchment in the bottom of the cake tin to help get the cheesecake out later. Place the crumbs into the cake tin and spread evenly. Use a cup and baking parchment to flatten it down. Chill in the freezer, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Step 3 Cheesecake filling: Remove the silken tofu from the package and dry off any excess water with a towel. Add this to the food processor with the cream cheese, lime zest, vanilla and salt. I like to warm my cream cheese in the microwave to make the mixture softer and therefore easier to handle.
• Step 4 Combine the cornstarch with the icing sugar in a small bowl and whisk until incorporated. Add this to a pot on the stove with the coconut cream and lime juice. Turn on a low-heat and whisk the ingredients together until completely smooth.
• Step 5 Keep stirring the mixture while it heats up to prevent the cornstarch from clumping. Eventually it will begin to steam and the mixture should start to thicken. Continue to stir until the mixture is thick like custard and then pour this directly into the food processor with the other ingredients.
• Step 6 Pulse a few times until it is completely homogenous. Take the crust out of the freezer and pour the mixture on top of it and leave it to set for at least 12 hours. Cornstarch takes a while to fully thicken so it’s best left overnight.
• Step 7 Jelly Layer: Mix together the sugar, cornstarch and the agar powder in a small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the water and stir until the dry mix has dissolved.
• Step 8 Pour this into a pan with the rest of the water, the lime juice and a drop of green colouring. Turn the heat up to medium-low and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously. Allow to simmer for 1 minute. The agar will only set once you reach boiling point so make sure it gets there.
• Step 9 Take it off the heat and wait 10 minutes for it to cool slightly.
• Step 10 Gently pour the jelly onto the set cheesecake layer. Chill for at least 1 hour then serve!