Darlene's Healthy Cheesecake

By courtneyepowell

Ingredients

• Crust:
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 c almond meal
• 1/4 t fine sea salt
• 3 T coconut oil, melted
• 2 T maple sugar or coconut sugar
• Filling:
• 14-oz package spouted silken tofu
• 1 c almond meal
• 1/4 c brown rice syrup
• 1/2 c grade A light maple syrup
• 1 T sweet white miso paste
• 1/2 c tapioca starch or arrowroot
• 1/4 t fine salt
• 2 t pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 t almond extract
• Zest of 1/2 lemon

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 and coat an 8-in springfoam pan with cooking spray.

Mix together all the crust ingredients and press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, making sure it's even and there are no cracks. Pressing the mixture down with the back of a large spoon helps.

Bake the crust until lightly browned, 10-15 mins and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place tofu in a colander to drain, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor or blender with the remaining filling ingredients and process or blend to a uniform creamy consistency.

Pour the filling over the cooked crust and use a rubber spatula to smooth the top.

Place the pan in a baking dish with sides at least 2 in high. Place the whole thing on the middle rack of the oven and carefully pour the contents of a kettle of boiling water into the baking dish so it comes halfway up on the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center is no longer liquidy and the top is a light golden brown, 1- 1.25 hrs. Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath, let it cool to room temp, then refrigerate for at least 2 hrs before serving.

We especially love this topped with fresh fruit -- slices of ripe, sweet summertime peaches are our favorite.