These Mini Baked Orange and Ginger Cheesecakes are the perfect pudding or afternoon treat. Best of all they are dairy and egg free! Get the recipe below.
What's the difference between baked and chilled cheesecakes?
Ordinarily, the main difference between baked and chilled cheesecake is that there are no eggs in a chilled cheesecake. Instead, they "set" by being chilled in the fridge. The result is two entirely different textures. A chilled cheesecake is much creamier and soft. Whereas a baked cheesecake is a little more firm and more velvety in texture.
Both are delicious!
Vegan cheesecake
Making a chilled cheesecake vegan is incredibly simple as you can get plant based substitutes for all the key ingredients. Making a baked cheesecake vegan is a little more tricky.
The good news is it doesn't require any egg substitutes! But, you will need some soaked cashews, coconut cream, cornflour and vegan cream cheese (along with ingredients like maple syrup, vanilla and any other flavourings you want to use).
The soaked cashews are blended on high with the other ingredients for a thick, creamy consistency. It's the cornflour that helps to turn the thick cream mix into something that sets when baked.
One of the main differences between vegan baked cheesecakes and regular baked cheesecakes if you don't need to use a water bath. Often recipes for baked cheesecakes made with egg will suggest pouring water around the outside of the tin so that the cheesecake cooks slowly and evenly. This is much less crucial with an egg free recipe.
The recipe
I toyed with the idea of making one large cheesecake but I think mini cheesecakes are much more fun! They are the perfect portion size for once person to enjoy as an afternoon treat or for a pudding at the end of a meal. The only trouble is it's hard to just eat one! I can't stop myself...
The biscuit base is made with ginger biscuits (brownie points if you make them yourself using this recipe). I've then flavoured the cheesecake mix with orange juice and orange zest for a fruity flavour. Once baked you can decorate them as you wish but I love using slices of candied orange or crystallised ginger. A drizzle of dark chocolate is the perfect finishing touch, as is a sprinkling of orange zest.
Mini Baked Orange and Ginger Cheesecakes (vegan)
Ingredients
For the cheesecake mix
- 120 grams cashew nuts
- 250 grams coconut cream
- 200 grams vegan cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 125 millilitres maple syrup
- 75 millilitres orange juice
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
For the biscuit base
- 200 grams ginger biscuits
- 75 grams non-dairy butter
To decorate
- candied orange slices (optional)
- crystallised ginger (optional)
- dark chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the cashew nuts in a bowl of boiling water for at least 45 minutes before draining thoroughly.
- While the cashews are soaking, pre-heat your oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4 and line cupcake tins with 18 cupcake wrappers.
For the biscuit base
- Crush the ginger biscuits with a rolling pin.
- Melt the butter and pour over the crushed biscuits.
- Stir thoroughly then divide the broken biscuit and butter mix between 18 cupcake cases. Pressing down firmly to ensure its well packed in the bottom of each case.
For the cheesecake mix
- Place the cashews into a blender along with the coconut cream, vegan cream cheese, cornflour, vanilla, maple syrup, orange juice and zest. Blend on high until creamy and smooth.
- Pour the filling between each of the cupcake cases and ensure they are all level.
- Bake for 20 until the edges look slightly dry and just pulling away from the cupcake cases. The centres should be jelly-like but not runny.
- Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and leave to cool completely in their cases.
- Once cooled, place in the fridge for 30 mins - 1 hour to make sure they are firm.
To decorate
- Carefully peel back the cupcake wrappers from the cheesecakes and place on to your serving plate.
- Top with your choice of candied orange, crystallised ginger and dark chocolate.
Notes
More delicious desserts
For the full range of dessert and pudding recipes, check out the recipe archive.
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