Vegan strawberry swirl cheesecake

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING
– 400 g plain vegan cream cheese (I used Violife, but use your favorite)
– 1/2 cup unsalted cashew nuts (you can soak them before hand to make the blending process easier)
– 1 cup unsweetened plain vegan yoghurt (I usually use a brand common in Europe called Alpro, but just like the cream cheese, use your favorite. You can also use a vanilla yoghurt to make it even more vanilla-y)
– 2 tbsp coconut oil
– 1 whole vanilla bean, seeds scraped out (or use 1 tsp vanilla extract or powder instead)
– 4 tbsp rice flour (you can just use all purpose flour if you’re not sensitive to gluten)
– 1 lemon, zested
– 4 tbsp powdered sugar
FOR THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE
– 250 g frozen strawberries
– 1 tsp of vanilla extract or powder
– 4 tbsp agave nectar
1. Start by making the strawberry sauce. Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and let it come to a boil then leave it to simmer for about 5-10 minutes, “smashing” down the berries to get them well incorporated. You may need to add more agave, depending on the sweetness of the strawberries and your personal taste, so please feel free to add more. After it’s done, push it through a sieve to get it all smoothed out. Set aside to cool.
2. Next start on the filling. Start by mixing the cream cheese, the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon zest with a hand mixer until everything is creamy and smooth.
3. Next blend the cashews, the vegan yoghurt and the coconut oil in a blender until smooth and add it to the cream cheese mixture and mix it again with the hand mixer until everything is well incorporated. The good thing about vegan desserts is that you can always taste them without having to worry about any raw eggs, so now would be the perfect time to see if you’d like it more sweet, or if it needs more vanilla or lemon zest. After you are finished taste testing add the rice flour and mix it a finale time.
4. Add the mixture to your prepared crust (I usually pre-bake mine for about 5-10 minutes) then add dollops of your strawberry sauce, making a nice pattern using a toothpick, a knife or a similar device before baking it in a 375 degree fahrenheit oven (or 190 degree celcius) for about 40-50 minutes. It’s not going to be as wobbly as a traditional cheesecake, but what you’re looking for is a slight golden hue.
5. Leave to cool down a bit, before transferring it to the fridge to set for at least six hours.
6. Serve with the remaining strawberry sauce and fresh berries if desired.
If you decide to try it out, I really hope this recipe works out for you. Otherwise let me know and I will do my best to help. Thank you again everyone for the nice words and please don’t ever stop posting all of your yummy foods and recipes, cause I get so inspired seeing all of your creations