Vegan Filo-Apple-Cheesecake
Classic cakes like chocolate cake, marble cake, nut cake, cheesecake are well known and liked. They are quick and always turn out great. But since we also love to take on new challenges, today we're going to make a cheesecake that's not classic. Let's spice it up!
The first thing different about this cake is the filo dough. But don't worry, it's not that complicated. You can buy ready-made filo dough in any major supermarket or organic market.
I always thought working with filo dough was very hard. And yes, you must be quick once the packaging is open, but you definitely have enough time to process your dough. This dough is made of many thin layers, unlike puff pastry, which is one thick dough. But how to process it? You place one sheet of filo dough on a flat surface and brush it with tasteless oil. Use a brush or your hands. We always do two sheets at a time and place them on top of each other in a greased springform pan. The following two sheets are then slightly offset in the mold. Continue until there are no sheets left. For extra crispness, we pre-bake it. Then our second layer, which consists of oat cookies and almonds, goes on top of the filo dough. I added this layer so the filo dough stays nice and crisp at the bottom and doesn't get soggy from the cheesecake layer. You can replace the almonds with other nuts of your choice.
After baking, the cheesecake layer is topped with a layer of fruit. I have chosen apples, but you can exchange them according to season and taste. For example, you can use pears or rhubarb, which are great for caramelizing in the pan. However, there are no limits. Try strawberries, raspberries, grapes, nectarines, ...
Finally, a little tip: You should not put the cake in the refrigerator after baking. Otherwise, the cheesecake layer becomes very firm and the filo dough loses its crunchiness. To keep the dough crunchy, you should eat the cake within one or two days. Of course, it will still taste good after three to four days, but it won't be as crispy as in the beginning.
Vegan Filo-Apple-Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the base:
- 10 sheets of filo dough
- approx. 50 ml (0.25 cup) vegetable oil
- 100 g (3.5 oz) almonds
- 150 g (0.33 lb) vegan oat cookies
- 100 g (1 stick) soft vegan butter
- 1–2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
For the cream:
- 600 g (1.33 lb) plant-based cream cheese (almond or oat-based)
- 200 g (0.75 cup) vegan skyr/curd
- 50 g (0.5 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 37 g (1.25 oz) vegan vanilla pudding powder
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 50 ml (0.25 cup) plant-based cooking cream
For the topping:
- 200 g (0.5 lb) apples
- 50 g (0.25 cup) sugar
- 50 g (0.5 stick) vegan butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 °C / 400°F (top/bottom heat). Brush the individual sheets of filo pastry with vegetable oil and place two sheets on top of each other. Carefully place them one after the other, always slightly offset, in a greased springform pan. In the end, cut off the overhanging edge with scissors or a knife. Bake the base for approx. 5 minutes at 200 °C / 400 °F (top/bottom heat).
- Place almonds, vegan oat cookies, soft vegan butter and cinnamon in a stand mixer and blend. Once the filo dough comes out of the oven, add the cookie mixture on top and press down.
- Before the cake goes back into the oven, prepare the cream. To do this, mix plant-based cream cheese, plant-based skyr and powdered sugar in a bowl. In an extra bowl, combine cornstarch, vegan vanilla pudding powder, fresh lemon juice and plant-based cooking cream, and then add to the cream. Combine everything using a whisk or hand mixer until smooth.
- Pour the mixture onto the almond oatmeal cookie base and bake the cake for about 30 minutes at 200 °C / 400 °F (top/bottom heat) until lightly browned.
- While the cake is in the oven, prepare the apple layer. Core the apple and cut it into small cubes. In a pan, melt sugar, cinnamon and vegan butter on low heat. Then add the apple pieces and sauté briefly on medium heat while constantly stirring.
- Once the cake comes out of the oven, add the apple pieces and let cool completely.
