Cheesecake is one of the most iconic New York City desserts. When coming up with recipes for NYC Vegan, we knew we had to have a New York style cheesecake. It took a few tries to get this one right, and we are certainly glad we kept trying. We have served this cake to countless numbers of non-vegans and they all refuse to believe it doesn’t contain any dairy or eggs, even though they know we are vegan. Moreover, our New York Style Cheesecake was overwhelmingly selected as the crowd favorite at the Great Vegan Cheesecake Throwdown hosted by US Veg Corp.
Serve this award winning New York Style Cheesecake as a dessert at your next dinner party and be prepared to be showered with applause.
(From NYC Vegan, copyright © 2017 by Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment. Used by permission. Photo by Jackie Sobon.)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons nondairy butter, melted
4 (8-ounce) containers nondairy cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1/2 cup nondairy sour cream
2 tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter in a large mixing bowl and mix well with a fork. Use your fingers to press the mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared springform pan until it is a solid, packed 1/4-inch layer of crust lining the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool before filling.
3. Combine the cream cheese, flour, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well, either with a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer, on medium speed until fully combined and the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. The batter should be completely smooth. Beat in the sour cream and egg replacer on low speed until well blended.
4. Pour the batter into the partially baked crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250°F and bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until the center is set but still a little jiggly. Turn off the heat and let the cheesecake rest for 30 minutes in the oven. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. When the cheesecake is cool, run a knife carefully around the side of the cheesecake, but do not remove or release the side of the pan. Put the cheesecake in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
5. When ready to serve, carefully run a knife along the side of the cheesecake to loosen it and remove the side of the pan. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Serves 8 to 10
