Tuxedo Tiramisu Cheesecake

For as long as I can remember, Tiramisu has been my favorite dessert. I veganized it as soon as I went vegan almost 3 decades ago but adding in the element of my second favorite dessert, cheesecake, was an absolute must!

Great for the holidays or any special occasion throughout the year, you’re sure to enjoy my vegan tuxedo tiramisu recipe! Be sure to plan ahead as th cake needs to set in the fridge overnight.

Crust

• 1 box of vegan Chocolate sandwich cookies
• 6 tablespoons melted vegan butter

Filling

• 1 cup vegan vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 package of  vegan ladyfingers (if you can’t find them you can substitute with vegan shortbread cookies or vegan sponge or pound cake)
• 32 ounces vegan cream cheese
• 1 cup vegan heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 8 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot water
• 4 tsp instant espresso powder, divided
• 1 cups vegan whipped cream
• 2–3 tbsp cocoa powder

To make the crust:

Add cookies into a food processor and pulse until crumby, breaking up all chunks.

Add crumbs to a mixing bowl with the room temperature butter and hand mix until fully incorporated.

Add into a greases 9-inch springform pan and press down firmly into the base to make a flat and compact crust. Place in the fridge to harden up for at least 30 minutes before adding filling.

To make the filling:

In a large food processor, cream together the vegan cream cheese, yogurt, baking soda, vegan heavy cream, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Then divide 1/3 of the batter into a separate bowl for the coffee cheesecake batter.

Add 2 tsp of instant espresso powder to the cheesecake batter in the small bowl, and whisk until it’s dissolved completely. Then set aside.

To make the espresso ladyfingers:

Mix the 1 cup of hot water with the remaining espresso powder. Then dip 1 ladyfinger into the espresso mixture, fully soaking it for a second on each side. Be quick and do not over soak as they will fall apart quickly and add too much liquid to the cake which won’t allow it to fully thicken. Place each soaked cookie on a plate to drain and set aside when done with all of them.

To assemble to assemble the cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a cookie sheet filled 2/3 of the way with water and place on the bottom rack.

Remove the springform from the fridge and pour in the regular cheesecake batter, smoothing it out and tapping the pan to make sure it is even and free of all air bubbles.

Next, layer the ladyfingers in a single layer on top of the batter, making sure to fill every gap.

Next, top the ladyfingers with the coffee cheesecake batter, smoothing it out and tapping the pan to make sure it is even and free of all air bubbles.

Place the cheesecake onto a SEPARATE baking sheet (NOT the water bath one), and place the cheesecake onto the middle rack, right above the baking sheet with the water bath (so you have 2 baking sheets in the oven). Quickly close the door, and let the cheesecake bake for 65 minutes.

After baking, turn off the oven, BUT leave the cheesecake inside. Crack the oven door about 1-2 inches, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, you can cover your cheesecake, and place it into the fridge to cool completely and set overnight.

The next day, top with vegan whipped cream, spreading evenly, and then dust with cocoa powder using a fine mesh sieve. Allow to set in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove the walls of the cheesecake pan when ready to slice and serve. Be sure to store in the fridge right after slicing.

Enjoy!