Low-Fat Pumpkin Coconut Cheesecake
This is an amazing cheesecake that I paired up with Vitasoy (think tofu) to create for their holiday campaign last year. The flavors of coconut and pumpkin pair so perfectly together because although both are mellow flavors, the sweetness from the pumpkin makes the coconut more pronounced. The flavors turn into this fragrant and creamy concoction, which surprisingly is done without a lot of fat.
Silkened tofu is used to replace a lot of the cheese, but a little mascarpone is added back in for richness. If you're looking for a vegan recipe, feel free to replace the mascarpone with vegan cream cheese or make it fully with tofu.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 3/4 cup tea biscuits
- 4-5 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 tsp. honey
- pinch of salt
Cheesecake:
- 2 1/4 cups silken tofu
- 1 1/2 packets gelatin
- 6 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup coconut milk, room temperature
- 6 tsp. pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup + 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 tsp. pumpkin spice
- 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon. mascarpone cheese, softened
Topping:
- 1 ounce white chocolate bar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
For the Crust
- Put biscuits in blender, and blend till completely crushed. Melt butter and honey together in the microwave. Mix biscuit crumbs, butter, honey, and salt together. Press crumbs tightly into the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan. Set aside.
For the Cheesecake
- Bloom gelatin in 6 tbsp. of water. Set aside.
- Put coconut milk and tofu into blender and puree till smooth. Add in pumpkin puree, sugar, and pumpkin spice. Blend till combined.
- Microwave bloomed gelatin for 30-90 seconds until it is melted. While blender is on low, quickly pour in gelatin. Blend for 30 seconds. Finally spoon mascarpone cheese into blender and blend till smooth.
- Gently pour mixture on top of crust. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or until cake sets.
- To garnish, grate a layer of white chocolate on top of cake and dust the top with a little bit of pumpkin spice.