Mikan Jelly Vegan Cheesecake

Recipe by Justine Sherratt @tokyopony

Prep Time: 1 hour plus 3-4 hours setting time
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 4 hours +
Servings: Serves 8

Mikan is one of the most popular citrus fruits in Japan it’s sweet and refreshing and can be used to make salad dressings, or cocktails. It’s nice as a thirst quenching drink mixed with sparkling water or frozen for an ice lolly.

I decided to use my basic vegan cheesecake recipe and top it with a refreshing summer jelly made from the Mikan juice from Wakayama.

Prepare

1. You will need to line a spring form cake tin with parchment paper or you can use a plastic container if you don’t have one.
2. Take the 2 x cups of cashew nuts from the cheese cake ingredients. Place your cashews in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave to soak for an hour to soften, while you make your biscuit base.

Biscuit Base

Ingredients:

• 20 vegan digestive biscuits (around 250g)
• 100g of vegan butter.

Method:

1. Add the butter to a bowl under simmering water in a pan and gently melt the butter.
2. Add the biscuits to a food processor and process into fine crumbs.
3. Remove the biscuits from the food processor and add this to a bowl, then pour in your melted butter.
4. Mix well, it will be the consistency of wet sand.
5. Tip out the base mixture into your prepared lined container and press it down well. Place in the fridge while you make your cheese cake.

Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cashew nuts.
• 1/3 cup of vegan honey, agave or light coloured sweetener
• 2 x tubs of plant based cream cheese at room temperature (e.g. vegan Philadelphia)
• 145g Almond & Oat Soft Cream Cheese Alternative
• 90g of raw cacao butter.

Method:

1. Add the cacao butter to a basin over boiled water in a pan to melt. This is called a bain-marie or double boiler. 
2. When the cashews have finished soaking at least one hour, drain off the water and add them to a high-speed blender (e.g. a Nutribullet) with the  melted cacao butter, sweetener and cream cheese.
3. Give it all a good blend until nice and smooth.
4. Remove your container from the fridge and pour into your container over the biscuit base.
5. Place in the fridge to set for at least 3-4 hours preferably over night.

Mikan Jelly Topping & adding to the cheese cake

Ingredients:

3 cups of Mikan Juice

2 & half teaspoons of agar agar powder

Method:

1. Pour the mikan juice into a pan.
2. Sprinkle the agar agar powder over the mikan juice and gently mix it in. 
3. Turn on the heat and gently heat the juice until you see bubbles but don’t let it boil stirring occasionally.
4. Let the juice cool to a tepid temperature then pour over your chilled cheese cake then place back in the fridge to set one final time.
5. Remove the tin and parchment paper and slice maybe serving with some mandarin segments.

For more wonderful vegan inspired Japanese food recipes, head to tokyopony.com