Entry 27: Personal Favorite - Turning Antivan Cheesecake into Antivan Ice Cream

Every time my birthday comes around on the calendar, I like to reflect on my cooking and baking skills and then push those abilities to the next level. I like to challenge myself and make up something special just for me to enjoy. I invite friends over to enjoy the sweet treats I make, but first and foremost, I'm baking for me on my birthday. This may seem like an odd tradition, as it can go from an exciting to frustrating experience quickly. Last year, I bit off way more than I could chew, making three different kinds of tiny cakes in the Orlesian style. They turned out great but I nearly swore off baking in the process. This year, I decided to scale my enthusiasm back and focus on one cake recipe, albeit one known for its complicated process: Vegan Cheesecake. (For the record, cheesecake is cake; it's in the name.) However this entry did not go as planned. I was hoping to present a carefully crafted homemade vegan cheesecake, but things did not work out how I thought they would.

It's okay though, because when the boss' cheesecake doesn't turn out, the kitchen staff gets ice cream!
So this entry is two recipes in one: How to make vegan cheesecake and how recover when your vegan cheesecake fails. And there is even a bonus recipe: strawberry lemon sauce to spoon on top.

This entry overall breaks my usual form as I also lost most of the pictures I took so I unfortunately do not have images of all my ingredients or my process. And our annual birthday Dungeons and Dragons game that the cheesecake was for fell through. It was quite a non-birthday party. But how can I possibly have hard feelings about it all when I have vegan gingersnap cheesecake ice cream?

This recipe is inspired by a vegan cheesecake recipe from Nora Cooks Vegan. And as far as the Antivan label goes, it is my attempt to bring Antivan food culture to the challenge against Orlesian baking. Antiva is Orlais' major cultural competitor in Southern Thedas after all. Last year, Orlais was center stage, this year Antiva gets to shine.

Various characters from the Dragon Age game, like Zevran and Josephine, describe Antiva as a paradise with beautiful flowers and vineyards. I imagine that being closer to the warmer northern parts of Southern Thedas, Antiva can get quite hot in the spring and summer months. So naturally Antivans must cool off with flavored ice or iced cream. For this recipe, the cream of our cheesecake/cheesecake ice cream is from coconut cream cheese and coconut cream.

Long time readers may know my love-hate relationship with coconut products well, but I have decided to put aside my negative feelings about the finickiness of this tropical, plant-based dairy substitute. My roguish partner in the kitchen is allergic to soy and almond-based products are expensive. So we have adopted coconut as our default dairy-replacer, from coffee creamer to pasta sauces to cheesecake (and ice cream)!

Image Description: A beautiful, freshly baked (but ultimately deceptive) cheesecake.

The main takeaway from this extremely exciting and frustrating experience though is that more time does not always mean better results with coconut. I attempted to make my own homemade coconut cream cheese rather than purchase four 8 ounce packages of vegan cream cheese from my local grocer. My cream cheese did not turn out firm and creamy like the store bought stuff and that may have been the start of this baking venture's failure. As such, I am not including my homemade cream cheese recipe in this entry and instead encourage you to buy vegan cream cheese instead from whatever local, small business grocer you frequent. While I certainly hate to encourage the purchasing a plastic packaging, my way just did not turn out at all, as illustrated below.

Image Description: Pie slicer cutting into a less-than half baked vegan cheesecake.

We can say there was an attempt.

Image Description: A collage of images showing an attempt to remove a slice of under-baked vegan cheesecake from
the cake, resulting in an oozy, sugary mess.

But we're really just going to blame Sera for this mess, right? 

Image Description: Under-baked vegan cheesecake freshly
dumped into a mixing bowl, leaving gooey ginger snap crust
behind on a springform pan.

Thankfully, coconut cream's finickiness became a valued versatility and set the stage for an amazing ice cream that I still dream about weeks after making it.

Image Description: An ice cream spoon scooping soft and creamy vegan ginger snap cheesecake ice cream.

After freezing the remains of the cheesecake overnight, I was delighted to taste this delicious, creamy treat as a belated birthday gift to myself.

Image Description: A bowl filled with three scoops of vegan ginger snap cheesecake ice cream topped
with strawberry lemon sauce, with a spoon.

And let's be honest, this looks like the dairy deal, doesn't it? It totally does. But it's healthier and much more delicious.

Image Description: a partially eaten bowl of vegan ginger snap cheesecake ice cream  topped with
strawberry lemon sauce, with a spoon showing off how much it looks like dairy ice cream.

If you are interested in making the vegan cheesecake, remember to gently wrap your finished cake in plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator for up to one week.

If you are interested in making the vegan cheesecake ice cream, store in an airtight container in your freezer for up to two weeks.


Vegan Cheesecake:

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
Cooling time: 4-8 hours
Yields: 1 cheesecake, 10-12 slices

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups vegan gingersnap cookie crumbs
5 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/4 cup lemon sugar

For the cake filling:
32 ounces ( or 4 8 ounce packages) vegan cream cheese
1 13.5 ounce can coconut cream
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons arrowroot
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350℉. Thoroughly coat the inside of a 9-inch springform pan with vegetable shortening or coconut oil, then wrap the outside with 2 layers of aluminum foil, covering the bottom and at least halfway up the sides. Set aside.

Crush gingersnap cookies into crumbs and add to a bowl with melted coconut oil. Add lemon sugar. To make lemon sugar, zest half of a lemon and add to a small bowl with the sugar for the crust. Using your fingers, pinch and rub lemon zest with sugar until well combined. Mix all crust ingredients to combine. Add to oiled springform pan. Press firmly and evenly until mixture is compact and covers the whole bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Add vegan cream cheese to a bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, or use a handheld mixer, then beat on a medium speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining filling ingredients and beat until smooth on a low or medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Once cheesecake filling is completely smooth, carefully pour into the springform pan and spread evenly.

Fill a broiler pan, or a large pan with upright sides, half way with water. This is a cake bath and will to prevent the cheesecake from cracking while baking. Carefully place the cheesecake into the partially filled broiler pan or large pan. Gently place in the preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes. Do not open the oven door during this time. Turn off the heat, and let sit in the oven for 10 more minutes. Do not open the oven door during this time. The cheesecake will be slightly jiggly, and not look very done in the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow cool for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature before moving to the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours, preferably up to 24 hours, before removing the springform pan ring. Slice and serve. Top with strawberry lemon sauce.

If your cheesecake, once sliced, is fluffy but firm, congratulation, you have successful baked a vegan cheesecake! If your cheesecake is runny, or gooey, or appears severely under-baked on the inside, proceed to make vegan gingersnap cheesecake ice cream.


Vegan Gingersnap Cheesecake Ice Cream:

Prep time: 5 min, once cheesecake is done
Freeze time: 8-24 hours
Yields: 1/3-1/2 gallon...?

Ingredients:
1 partially baked vegan cheesecake
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1-2 tablespoons coconut cream (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions:
Add partially baked vegan cheesecake, to a large mixing bowl; scrap crust with cake filling and mix well. Add coconut cream, nutritional yeast, or vanilla as desired. Freeze overnight, preferably 24 hours. Once frozen through, take out of the freezer 10 minutes before scooping. Scoop desired amount into a bowl and top with strawberry lemon sauce.


Strawberry Lemon Sauce:

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Cooling time: 10 minutes, preferably 8 hours
Yields: a scant 3/4 of a cup...?

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions:
Add all ingredients expect the cream of tartar into a small saucepan. Mix well and bring to a bubbling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Allow to bubble for 3 to 4 minutes. Once strawberries are very soft, turn off heat and stir in cream of tartar. Remove from heated burner and allow to cool to a warm temperature. The sauce is ready to serve but it will melt coconut ice cream quickly. To cool completely for serving with vegan ginger snap cheesecake ice cream, store in an airtight container overnight. Sauce will keep for about 2 weeks.

END NOTE:  It may or may not be immediately obvious, but I'm still a novice mage in the school of food blogging. And per my norm, I forgot to measure my results before eating it, that is why the yields sections have questions marks. The approximations are the result of a quick "eyeballing" rather than actually measuring. I'll do better for your folks next time. Overall though, I'm proud of myself for keeping my cool and focus on the present moment as things fell apart around me. I used to be quite the Adrian type years ago but have learned to douse my flames quickly and calmly. Much thanks to my partner in kitchen mess-making for my progress. I'm overall happy with the ice cream and I hope that as the weather warms wherever you are, you give it (or the cheesecake) a try! Follow me on Instagram for more food, as well as cats, wildlife, Dragon Age screenshots, and sneak peeks of the next blog entry! I also occasionally host walking tours my Skyhold's garden on Instagram on Wednesdays. The flowers are blooming beautifully and the bees are busily buzzing! See my Twitter for updates.


Walk always in the Maker's light.


Like what you are reading? Great! Come back for a new entry on the third Thursday of each month. And have a look at my previous entries for other recipes and Dragon Age-related trivia and oddities!

Have any friendly suggestions or cool ideas? Want me to veganize your favorite recipe? Please feel free to comment below. You can also email me at foodsofthedas@gmail.com, message me at AGSamuels on Reddit, or tweet me at @FoodsofThedas on Twitter. You can also follow me on Instagram, @foodsofthedas.

If you try out any of my recipes, please share pictures on social media using the hashtag (#)foodsofthedas.

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Sources:
Nora Cooks Vegan: www.noracooks.com
Nora Cooks Vegan, The Best Vegan Cheesecake: www.noracooks.com/vegan-cheesecake/#wprm-recipe-container-3332
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Foods of Thedas, Formerly Gourmet Vegan Thedas