Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• 17 rectangles graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons raw sugar
• 5 tablespoons vegan margarine, melted
• 1 tablespoon butter flavoring
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2/3 cup vegan sour cream (i use toffuti)
• 3 (8 ounce) packages vegan cream cheese, at room temperature (again, toffutti)
• 1 1/3 cups raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons vanilla nut & butter flavoring
• 1/2 cup firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon almond milk
• reserved 3/8 c batter
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Recipe

• 1 1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. generously grease the sides and bottom of a spring form pan. line bottom with wax paper.
• 2 2. prepare crust by melting margarine. mix in butter flavoring and set aside.
• 3 3. place graham crackers in a food processor and grind very fine. add sugar and process for about 1 minute.
• 4 4. in a medium bowl combine graham cracker and butter mixtures until well incorporated. press mixture to the bottom of the spring form pan and set aside.
• 5 5. prepare batter by blending 1 package of cream cheese with 1/3 cup of the sugar and cornstarch on low for 3 minutes. scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add remaining cream cheese, one package at at time. scrape sides of bowl in between.
• 6 6. combine remaining sugar with lemon zest. increase speed to medium and add the lemon sugar to the cream cheese mixture. add vanilla and scrape sides. set aside.
• 7 7. in food processor/blender combine tofu and almond milk until smooth. mix in tofu mixture into the batter on medium speed. add in the sour cream and mix well. scrape sides again.
• 8 8. reserve 3/8 c batter for swirl mixture. pour remaining batter into prepared pan over the crust. set aside.
• 9 9. for swirl mixture take reserved batter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and combine. mix well. scoop tablespoons full of cinnamon mixture onto top of cheesecake. gently press down with spoon. use a knife tip to swirl the cinnamon. (be sure not to over-swirl).
• 10 10. bake for 75 minutes. allow to cool for 2 hours. cover and refrigerate for at least 4 more hours. garnish with chopped pecans and brown rice syrup (totally optional) then serve.