Dairy Free Cheesecake
Not from a factory, it's simply homemade dairy free cheesecake today.
For those of you who celebrate Shavuot, or just love defying the odds, I present to you some dairy-free cheesecake.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/why-cheesecake-on-shavuot/
We aimed to create a creamy, fluffy, decadent cheesecake. We hypothesized that the recipe would be simple, delicious, and reminiscent of holidays past.
Methods:
I followed the recipe from Spice & Spirit recipe books. Due to copywrite I won't list out the full recipe, but you can see my ingredients gathered below:
https://www.amazon.com/Spice-Spirit-Complete-Cookbook-classic/dp/082660238X
Specifically, I used two containers of the Simple Truth brand non-dairy cream cheese.
Product link:
https://www.kroger.com/p/simple-truth-non-dairy-cream-cheese/0001111011055?fulfillment=PICKUP&storecode=01800365&&cid=shp_adw_shopl_.FY23.01_search_ent_conv_lia_corelia_kroger_g_lia_shop_acq_evgn_ship_all_roas_natural-and-organic&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjryjBhD0ARIsAMLvnF8w9Ssw0Ljipm_ZjJGmSglsDf1xzZYPQRa0A9IXdKIw4aVLmk02x-4aArGcEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
(or just google Simple Truth non-dairy cream cheese)
Recipe steps:
1. Mix all your filling ingredients together. I started with my paddle.
At first, it was quite lumpy and frankly unappetizing, and I questioned some of my life choices and biology.
After a few minutes, it was better but still a bit lumpy.
3. Check for doneness. Cheesecake won't or shouldn't brown, so it can be tested by texture and temperature. I did not know the temperature rule before hand, so I went by texture, adding 10 minutes to the initial bake time. Then definitely chill in fridge for more than 2 hours (I.e. overnight) before you cut into it.
Results:
I promise, it only cracked because it was in this flimsy aluminum foil pan and it squished a bit when I took it out of the oven.
Otherwise, the texture result was creamier than previous experience.
Discussion:
The results yielded delicious, creamy, sweet and silky pie. One reviewer made me double check that this was indeed, dairy free.
Contrary to hypotheses, the results were more custardy than previous experience with dairy-free cheesecake. This may be due to the writer's limited experience and small comparison samples.
Alternatively, the ingredients of the dairy free cream cheese may have played a role. I had previously made this cheesecake with soy-based cream cheese (Tofutti brand). I noted that this cream cheese had a coconut base, so it is possible that the fat distribution or other factors contributed to the different result.
With more dairy-free alternative products coming on the market, manufacturer's are likely to try new recipes for variety, improvement in results, and possibly to address multiple food restrictions in one product to gain more market share. As a result, not all dairy-free alternatives may have equivalent results in cooking and baking.
Future research should continue to explore the applicability of dairy-free ingredient substitutions as well as modifications of traditional recipes to be dairy-free.