You know how much we love medicinal foods. From medicinal drinks to functional foods to daily delights, we love spiking it all with plant medicines for added micronutrients. This is a different twist to the traditional cheesecake as it’s both vegan and gluten free, yet it’s a fun healthy play on an old staple. Sub ingredients as you see fit. Let us know how you like it!
Recipe by: The Banana Diaries for Anima Mundi
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 65 minutes, plus cooling time
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
Crust:
● 3 cups (250 g) vegan gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
● ⅓ cup (85 g) melted vegan butter or coconut oil
Filling:
● 2 medium purple sweet potatoes, baked and skin removed
● 4 8-ounce containers (904 g) vegan cream cheese
● 1 cup (200 g) coconut sugar
● ½ cup (120 g) dairy free yogurt
● 1 cup (240 mL) coconut cream or cashew cream
● ½ cup (80 g) arrowroot starch
● ½ tbsp Anima Mundi Herbals Butterfly Pea Powder
● 1 tsp Anima Mundi Herbals Mucuna Powder
● 1 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped cream:
● 1 ½ cups (360 mL) vegan heavy cream or coconut cream, chilled
● 1 tbsp maple syrup
● 1 tsp Anima Mundi Herbals Butterfly Pea Powder
● 1 tsp Anima Mundi Herbals Ground Cinnamon
Instructions:
1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a 9” springform pan with parchment paper.
2. Make the crust: In a food processor, blitz together the graham cracker crumbs and melted vegan butter until the crumbs are wet. Press the crumbs into the prepared springform pan, and up the sides of the walls of the pan.
3. Bake the crust: Place the crust into the oven to bake for 12 minutes. Once baked, remove the crust from the oven, and lower the temperature to 350F.
4. Make the filling: Add all filling ingredients to a food processor, and blend until creamy and smooth. Pour the filling into the baked crust, and smooth the top of the cheesecake.
5. Bake: Place the ube cheesecake back into the oven to bake for 65 minutes. Once baked, remove the cheesecake from the oven, and cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
6. Cool: After the cheesecake has cooled at room temperature, cover it and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours or overnight.
7. Make the whipped cream topping: When ready to serve, make the whipped cream. Place a medium bowl into the freezer for 30 minutes prior to making the whipped cream. Then add the vegan heavy cream to a bowl and use a hand mixer to whip the cream at medium speed until stiff peaks are achieved, about 5 minutes. Then add in the maple syrup, butterfly pea powder, and ground cinnamon. Mix again until the color is consistent throughout.
8. Decorate and serve: Plate the cheesecake and carefully remove the springform pan. Pipe the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake by filling a piping bag with a piping nozzle. Slice and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
