Dairy-Free Chocolate Meringue Cheesecake

Having to give up dairy has admittedly been a struggle for me; I went from drinking 4 Litres of milk every two or three days to suddenly having to avoid it all together! Not to mention, all of my favourite foods contain dairy in some way or other, foods such as tiramisu, spanakopita, cream soups, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Not one to admit defeat, I've spent much of the past year tweaking all of my own recipes so that I could still enjoy them. Some have been flops, some have been just okay, and then some have been AMAZING. So amazing, you'd never realize they didn't contain dairy if I didn't tell you.

This "cheese"cake is one of those amazing conversions!

Of course, if you're not on a dairy-free diet, feel free to use regular dairy based products, such as butter, cream cheese, and milk. That's the beauty of this recipe; it's versatile enough to work with what you have in your fridge.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Meringue Cheesecake

Serves 8-12, but I won't judge if you keep it all to yourself!

Base:

2 cups (or 500 ml) of animal cookies

1/4 cup (or 60 ml) of vegan margarine (or butter)

1 large egg

Cheesecake:

2 cups (or 500 ml) dairy-free cream cheese, such as Daiya plain cream cheeze style spread) (or cream cheese)

1 cup (or 250 ml) of cane sugar

3 large eggs

1/3 cup (or 80 ml) of cocoa powder

1 tbsp (or 15 ml) of cornstarch

1 tsp (or 5 ml) of vanilla extract

1 tbsp (or 15 ml) of creme de cacao, optional

1/2 cup (or 60 ml) of chocolate soy milk (or regular milk)

Meringue:

1/3 cup (or 80 ml) of water

1/2 tbsp (or 7.5 ml) of grass-fed gelatine (or 1 tsp/5 ml of agar powder)

4 large egg whites

2 cups (or 500 ml) of cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon (or 1.25 ml) of cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon (pinch) of sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1) Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C. Wrap the outside of a 9” springform pan with aluminium foil, then lightly spray the inside with pan spray, and set aside.

2) In a food processor, pulse the animal cookies with the margarine until crumbly. Blend in the egg until thoroughly mixed. Press into the prepared pan.

3) In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the non-dairy cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, then the cocoa and the cornstarch until smooth. Fold in the vanilla, creme de cacao, and the soy milk until thoroughly blended. Pour into the pan. Place the pan in a baking pan or cast iron pan, then pour enough hot water into the pan to come up the springform pan by about 1/2.

4) Bake for 70-90 minutes, or until just set; the cheesecake will be jiggly, but not soupy. Carefully remove the cheesecake pan from the water bath, making sure not to spill any water on the cheesecake. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.

5) For the meringue topping, stir the gelatine and water together into a metal bowl, and allow to stand 10 minutes. Add the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and sea salt, then place over the top of a pan of gently simmering water (this is called a double boiler). Using an electric beater fitted with the whisk attachments, whip the meringue for 7 minutes, or until thick and white in colour. Fold in the vanilla.

6) Pipe the meringue over the cheesecake, then place under a low broiler until just toasted (watch carefully!). Allow to cool completely, then cover and place in the refrigerator. Chill until ready to serve.

The cheesecake can be frozen.

Need help with the steps? Look at these photos for reference!

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#Dessert #Chocolate #easy #baking #Dairyfree #Decadent #Meringue