Baking season is well and truly here so I made this dairy-free cheesecake topped with a layer of spiced apple and a smattering of crunchy streusel. This dessert is delightfully autumnal and easy to make too so no excuses please.

The pastry for these dairy-free cheesecake comes together in minutes, in a food processor, although you can obviously make it by hand too. The dairy-free cheesecake filling needs a minute in a blender and the apples about ten minutes on the stove. That’s literally it. Other than that you need to assemble this dairy-free cheesecake by layering all these on top of each other and bake until the edges are firm and the middle still a touch wobbly. The hardest thing is to wait for these beauties to set – I recommend making them a day in advance and storing them in the fridge overnight for super neat slices. I hope you’ll enjoy this dessert if you decide to give it a go.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

VEGAN BUTTER:I used a block of vegan butter in two different ways in this vegan cheesecake recipe. I used it to make a tender shortbread base and crumble crust and some more to add firmness and creaminess to the cheesecake filling. My favourite vegan butter brand available in the UK in Naturli. It’s a Danish brand, but it’s widely available in UK’s supermarkets – Sainsbury’s and Waitrose both stock it. If you cannot find it, my second recommendation is Violife and finally unsalted Flora. All of them work well in this context.

SUGAR: I used caster sugar, which is essentially superfine white sugar to sweeten both the shortbread crust and the filling and light muscovado to sweetened the apples. You could use a different sugar if you wish but be mindful of the fact that brown sugar, for example, will change the colour of the filling to possibly less appetising brownish colour. Also using superfine sugar guarantees that the sugar particles will dissolve completely during baking so that’s another reason for my sugar choice.

OATS: I added some oats to the crust for a hint of nuttiness.

PLAIN FLOUR: I used regular plain flour (without any raising agents) to make the dough for this recipe. If you want to make this vegan cheesecake without gluten, a well balanced mix of gluten-free flours – one that contains a fair amount of starches will work well. I also recommend adding either half a teaspoon of xanthan gum or one tablespoon of psyllium husk (1 tsp if using powder) for binding.

CASHEWS: To make the filling of this vegan cheesecake creamy and luxurious, I used raw cashew nuts soaked in water first. Soaking softens the nuts and makes them easier to blend well. You want to soak the cashews in boiling water for at least 30 minutes or in cold water for several hours (overnight is best). You can use hulled sunflower seeds instead – they will blend just as nicely – but some people are sensitive to their slightly bitter aftertaste whereas cashews have a very neutral, slightly sweet taste so for that reason they are more suitable.

LEMON ZEST AND JUICE: Since a dairy cheesecake is naturally tangy, I used fresh lemon juice to give this dairy-free cheesecake a bit of tanginess. Lemon zest is used for fragrance. I also love a combination of using zest of one lemon and of one orange – if you haven’t tried it I recommend you do.

APPLES: I used Granny Smith apples as they are deliciously tart and keep their shape nicely. I cooked them down in spices, sugar, lemon juice and butter until soft but not falling apart.

SPICES: I spiced the apple layer with warming autumnal spices of cinnamon and ginger. You can also add some nutmeg and a pinch of cloves if you like.

HOW TO MAKE IT?

1) MAKE THE PASTRY & BAKE IT

Combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add very cubes of very cold butter and pulse the mixture a few times until it resembles wet sand. Trickle in ice cold water while pulsing, in small, incremental amounts until the mixture is wet enough to bind together. Do not add any more than needed. Save a third of the mixture for the streusel topping and press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a lined baking tin. Bake until lightly golden.

2) MAKE THE FILLING

Place all of the filling ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy and silky smooth.

3) COOK THE APPLES

Cook chopped apples with spices, sugar, lemon juice and butter until cooked through yet not falling apart. Reduce the cooking juices until they are thick, caramel-like.

4) ASSEMBLE & BAKE

Once pre-baked base has cooled off, top it with the cheesecake mixture, stewed apples and the resulting sauce and finally a layer of streusel.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle is only just slightly wobbly. Cool down completely and refrigerate overnight for the neatest slices.