Cannoli Cheesecake

This was another treat I made for my step fathers birthday. We all try to eat ~relatively~ healthy (save our frequent popcorn dinners) so I wanted to do something refined sugar free and mostly grain free. The crust I used here is one I have used in other pies before so I had a good idea of how it would turn out. The cheesecake on the other hand was totally new to me and I was VERY nervous (find both of those original recipes here and here). I did some tweaking (naturally) to make both recipes completely vegan and compatible, but they are generally pretty similar to the originals. So, feel free to use either!

The crust is made from only 4 ingredients, with the main dry ingredient being coconut flour. It is important that the oil you use in the pie dough is cold in order to obtain the desired flakiness. I have used both chia and flax as egg substitutes in this recipe and both work great! They just have different textures. The cheese cake is also mostly coconut based and sweetened with meaning the recipe is filled with loads of healthy fats! The recipe relies upon a starch to give it the cheesecake like texture. What starch you use doesn’t much matter, but you may need to adjust depending on the source. This was a pretty big hit among my family members who are usually skeptical about vegan items. It really did taste just like a cannoli in my opinion, so if that is a flavor you like I highly encourage you to try this!

Ingredients

Coconut Flour Crust

• 3/4 cup of coconut flour
• 8 Tbsp. cold vegan butter or coconut oil or butter
• 2 Tbsp. Flax or Chia Seed
• 5 Tbsp. warm water
• pinch of salt

Cannoli Cheesecake

• 1 cup of vegan yogurt – Vanilla flavor
• 1/2 cup coconut cream*
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 4 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

* if you place a can of coconut milk in the fridge, it will separate. The liquid that remains on top can substitute coconut cream if you cannot find any.

Instruction

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Combine Flax or Chia with water and set aside to gel (this will take 5 to 10 minutes)
3. If you have a food processor: Place all of the ingredients for the pie crust into the bowl of a food processor. I suggest cutting the butter into pats before processing. Mix until the dough comes together into a ball
4. If you do not have a food processor: Combine the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles a rough crumble. Add in the chia/flax egg and stir to combine until a ball forms.
5. Place the dough ball in the freezer for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the dough and press into an oiled pan 9 inch cake pan. It is ok if the dough doesn’t come all the way up the sides. Puncture the dough with a fork around the base and edges to prevent bubbles from forming.
7. Pre-Bake the dough in the oven for 15 minutes
8. Turn oven up to 375 F after the crust is done baking
9. Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, combine all of the cheese cake ingredients minus the chocolate and beat for 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips.
10. Pour the batter into the pre-baked crust and bake again for 15 to 20 minutes. The outside should be set and the inside should be jiggly but not wet. If the interior still looks soupy, bake for an addition 3 to 5 minutes.
11. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool. Once cool place in the fridge to chill. When ready to serve you may decorate the cake with a chocolate drizzle, some vegan whip cream, or powdered sugar!