Baked Papaya Vanilla Cheesecake

Creamy baked vegan papaya cheesecake with a classic cookie crust. The cheesecake is made with less than 10 ingredients, has a beautiful orange papaya hue and flecks of vanilla!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Vegan

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Resting Time 9

Total Time 10 10

Servings people

Calories 337

Author Anthea

Ingredients

Crust

~2 cups (200g) plain cookies gluten free and/or refined sugar free if needed
⅓ cup (75g) melted vegan butter or margarine or coconut oil

Cheesecake filling

~2 ½ cups (600g) vegan cream cheese room temperature (2 1/2 x regular tubs)
~2 ⅓ cups (600g) firm silken tofu also known as 'medium' or 'traditional' tofu
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder
½ cup (180g) maple syrup or rice malt syrup or cane sugar
1 cup (100g) papaya roughly chopped
Pinch of salt

To decorate

Fresh papaya cut as desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Line the bottom and sides of a spring-form or loose-bottom cake tin (I used a 20cm or 8-inch cake tin).

To make the crust:

Add the cookies to a food processor and pulse until they form breadcrumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom the lined cake tin. Set aside.

To make the filling:

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until it is very smooth. Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust.

To bake the cheesecake

Bake the cheesecake for around 40 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown. The filling will be baked on top but still jiggly.
With the oven door ajar, allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for at least 1 hour. When the cheesecake is at room temperature, cover it and set it aside in the fridge overnight to chill.

To decorate:

Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. Top with coconut yoghurt and fresh papaya. Serve immediately.
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition