Non-Dairy Tofu "Cheese" Cake

This delicious dairy-free cake makes the perfect alternative to cheesecake.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Base

• 100g oats
• 1tbsp Clearspring Hazelnut Oil
• 2tbsp Clearspring Rice Malt Syrup

Topping

• 120ml organic apple juice
• ½tbsp Clearspring Kuzu
• 150g cherries, pitted
• ½tbsp Clearspring Rice Malt Syrup

Filling

• 100ml organic apple juice
• 3tbsp Clearspring Agar Flakes
• 1-2tbsp Clearspring Rice Malt Syrup
• 1 pack Clearspring Tofu
• 2 tubs Clearspring Apple Puree
• ½ vanilla pod, seeds only

Method

Base

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
2. Bake the oats in the oven for ten minutes, stir and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Heat the oil and syrup over a low heat until the syrup is thinner and more fluid. While the syrup is heating, blend the oats in a food processor to a sandy consistency, then pour in the syrup mixture and pulse until all the ingredients are perfectly blended.
4. Tip the mixture into a 20cm spring-form cake tin lined with baking paper, and push down into an even layer.

Topping

1. Put the apple juice and kuzu in a pan and stir until melted.
2. Heat following the pack instructions and then add the cherries and syrup and cook for a couple more minutes.
3. Take off the heat and allow to cool down stirring every now and then - the cherries will give the sauce a vibrant red colour.

Filling

1. Put the apple juice in a pan and sprinkle over the agar. Heat following the pack instructions. Then, once the juice has thickened, add the malt syrup.
2. Blend the rest of the ingredients together to a smooth paste, add the agar mix and stir thoroughly. Pour on top of the base and allow to chill for at least two hours - preferably overnight.

To serve

Remove the cheesecake from the tin, peel off the baking paper and transfer to a serving plate. Spoon over the cherry sauce and enjoy.

Chef

Celia Plender

Celia Plender is a freelance food writer and chef with experience in both Japan and the UK. She has written for publications including Time Out Magazine, channel4.com/4food, goodfoodchannel.co.uk and clearspring.co.uk.

Since returning from Japan, where she worked as a chef in a Tokyo kaiseki restaurant, she has devoted more and more of her time to Japanese cuisine. As she trained in the West, she is also fully conversant with European cuisine.

She is the proud editor of two cookbooks: Dashi and Umami, the Heart of Japanese Cuisine (Cross Media 2009) and Umami World Recipes, Filipino (Cross Media 2009).

In her food writing career she has written for various magazines and websites, including www.channel4.com/4Food, where she is currently Deputy Editor, www.goodfoodchannel.co.uk, Time Out Eating and Drinking Guides, www.Eat-Japan.com and www.clearspring.co.uk. She is also a member of the Guild of Food Writers.