German-Style Vegan Cheesecake Without Crust

Back in my vegetarian times, I used to love cheesecake without crust. I came up with all kinds of different toppings but the base always stayed the same. It was made with quark, a European dairy product that is really hard to describe. I can’t even say you’ve got to try it to know how it tastes because duh, …. it’s not vegan! Since I’d really missed this one for a very long time and I believe that almost everything can be veganized, I got to work in my kitchen lab and started experimenting. The original was made with regular grits which I substituted with gluten free corn grits. Cashews served once again as a creamy substitute for anything dairy! The only thing left to be found was the perfect combination and right amount of ingredients. Well, don’t look any further!

Remember to soak cashews and thaw strawberries!

You need:

• high speed blender
• 9 inch (23 cm) springform

Ingredients: (for 12 slices)

For springform:

• coconut oil

For the cashew cream:

• 2 generous cups (280 g) raw, unsalted cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours, drained
• 1 can (13.68 fl oz / 400 ml) full fat coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp plant milk of your choice
• ¾ cup (180 ml) maple syrup
• ¼ tsp Celtic sea salt
• zest of 1 organic lemon (rinse first)
• 4 Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1½ tsp cream of tartar
• 4 Tbsp corn grits

For fruit topping:

• (11 oz) 300 g strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
• 1½ tsp agar agar powder (I used this brand)

Garnish with:

• shredded coconut
• fresh strawberries

Preparation:

If you use frozen strawberries for the topping, thaw them first.

Set oven temperature to 350° F (175° C) and grease springform with coconut oil.

Place all the cashew cream ingredients into your high speed blender and process at highest setting for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Pour the liquid into your prepared springform.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, then turn oven off and wait 10 more minutes until you take the  cake out.

For fruit topping, purée strawberries, transfer to a saucepan, whisk in maple syrup, lemon juice, and agar powder, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 2 minutes while stirring continuously.

Pour the hot liquid immediately into the springform over the cheesecake.

Place into the fridge to set and chill for 1 – 2 hours.

Slide a spatula along the side of the springform to separate it from the cake. Open and remove the side. Garnish with shredded coconut and fresh strawberries. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Instead of strawberries, you can use pitted cherries, peach, mango, raspberries, blueberries, …. or even a mix. The ratio of fruit to agar powder should be about 1½ cups fruit purée to 1½ tsp agar powder.
• Always stir agar powder into cold fruit purée or liquids, otherwise it will form lumps.
• You can place some fruit slices onto the cheesecake before pouring the fruit purée into the springform.
• You can find agar agar powder in Asian markets, health food stores, or online. Make sure to purchase the powder, not the flakes, and not the strips. I experimented with all of them and find the powder easiest to work with.