A unique cheesecake made of tofu that is low in calories. Very creamy and smooth. Top with fresh fruit, if desired. You can use vegetable oil to replace butter, avoid whipping cream and replace Gelatin Powder with Agar Powder for vegan alternative.
Cooking Information
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 3 hours
Number of servings: 2
Ingredients
60g Graham Crackers or substitute Unsweetened Biscuits (2.1 oz)
30g Melted Butter (1.05 oz) – Salted or Unsalted
100g Cream Cheese (3.5 oz)
100g Firm Tofu (3.5 oz)
100g Plain Yogurt (3.5 oz)
50ml Whipping Cream (1.7 fl oz)
50g Sugar (1.75 oz)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
5g Gelatin Powder (0.18 oz)
50ml Hot Water (1.7 fl oz) – approx. 80°C/176°F
Cake Pan with removable bottom (15cm/5.9 inch diameter)
Directions
1. Melt butter in a bain-marie or microwave.
2. Crumble Graham Crackers in a sealed bag. Pound and roll it with a rolling pin until crust.
3. Add melted butter into cracker, reseal and shake to combine.
4. Place powdered cracker onto waxed paper within the pan.
5. Distribute evenly and press it firmly to the bottom of cake pan using spatula. Chill it in fridge.
6. Blend whipping cream, plain yogurt, firm tofu, cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice together.
7. Dissolve gelatin powder in hot water completely. Add to the mixture and blend again.
8. Pour filling into chilled cake pan. Chill in fridge for 2-3 hours to firm up.
9. Slide dampen spatula along the edge of cheese cake to remove easily from cake pan.
10. Place cake pan onto a can and push the cake pan edge down to remove cake.
11. Place cheese cake on a cake turn table and remove bottom of pan.
12. Use a long baking knife to slice cake into 8 pieces evenly. Serve each on a plate.
Tips
1. Garnish sliced cake it with your favorite fruits to make it more visually appealing.
2. Clean baking knife with a dampen towel before every cut to slice cake smoothly.
3. Make sure to press cracker onto bottom firmly to avoid a crumbly texture.
Video
[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvQg6Q4jAQY]
Question Answer
Can I use silken tofu instead?
Yes, you can use silken tofu. Be sure to drain the water before using otherwise you will end up with very wet cheesecake!
Could I substitute tapioca powder or agar agar for gelatin powder?
Agar (Kanten) can be used to firm up the cheesecake but read the directions on the package first. Chef recommends using the gelatin since it will give the cheesecake a smooth and light texture.
Can I add different flavored gelatins (strawberry, cherry, etc) to make the cheesecake have color and added flavor?
You can use strawberry or cherry flavored gelatin to make the cheesecake.
How should i adjust the quantities if i’m making this in an 8-inch pan?
You can double the amount of the ingredients for an 8 inch pan. Chef used 15cm (6 inch) pan in the video.
Would it be okay to use soft tofu or do I need to use firm?
Remove the excess water thoroughly from soft tofu otherwise the cheesecake will be too soft.
Is it 5.9 diameter or circumference?
The diameter of the cake pan is 5.9 inch / 15cm.
I wonder if there’s a replacement for the gelatin powder? Or if I could leave it out? But if I did that, would it not be firm enough? Help me please, I’m vegetarian and don’t eat gelatin since it’s pork based.
This cheesecake will not firm up without the gelatin powder. You can use agar powder (made from seaweed) to firm up but it may require a different procedure. You should read the directions on the package of the agar product. The texture of the cheesecake with agar is also different from the one with the gelatin. Chef recommend using the gelatin if possible because it will give a smooth and light texture to the cheesecake.
Is this as sweet as American cheesecake? What kind of topping do you suggest since the filling uses tofu?
The tofu cheesecake is not as sweet as American cheesecake. Fruit sauce can be a good topping for this cheesecake.
My cheesecake is a little runny…
Tofu contains a fair amount of water and it might be the reason for the runny cheesecake. You can wrap the tofu with a paper towel and let it sit for a while to remove the excess moisture.
I wonder how much calorie cut this is compared to the traditional way of making cheese cake. This reminds me of the cheesecake i had at this Asian bakery that was a little more like jello cheesecake this must be similar. Must try if it hides the tofu that’s a plus.
Compared to regular rare cheesecake in Japan, the amount of cream cheese is halved and the whipping cream is reduced to a quarter.
Does this recipe work with flavored yogurt such as raspberry or vanilla, or would the taste be too faint?
You can use flavored yogurt instead of plain yogurt. Chef thinks the flavored cheesecake is also delicious.
I’m a tofu addict ! But you say it doesn’t taste like tofu…? How can i manage to still get a bit of the tofu taste? Should i put less cream cheese and less sugar but more tofu? Or will it ruin the texture or the cheese cake?
Increase the amount of FIRM tofu by half. Wrap the tofu with a paper towel, place a weight on top and let it sit for a while to remove the excess water thoroughly. You should also increase the gelatin a tiny bit. If the cheesecake is not sweet enough, you can drizzle on fruit sauce.
I prefer using digestive biscuits cause to me they’re a bit nicer! I wonder how the tofu will affect the taste of the cheesecake..? Looks interesting! Thanks for the recipe!
It doesn’t taste like tofu at all. The tofu cheesecake can be a healthier choice for people who are concerned about calories.
Which tofu did you use? Firm or soft tofu?
Firm tofu (momen tofu) is used for this recipe. Soft tofu (kinu tofu) contains more water than firm tofu so you might want to remove the moisture thoroughly. You can wrap the tofu with a paper towel and leave it for a while to remove the extra water. Otherwise, the cheesecake might become a bit runny.
Can I use agar powder instead of gelatin?
Agar powder can firm up the cheesecake but the texture will be totally different from the one with gelatin. Usage of agar powder will also require a different procedure so please check the directions on the package.
Is there any substitute for blender as i do not have a blender?
You can mix the filling with a balloon whisk.
How come you didn’t just mix the graham crackers in the blender in the first place?
You can use a blender to make the powdered cracker. Chef used the blender to mix the filling so maybe she wanted to avoid cleaning it twice
What brand of graham crackers is that? They look like saltine crackers. It’s whiter too.
Kyoritsu foods (共立食品) makes the graham crackers. The cracker are specially made for making cake and tart.