By Karina Cake, baker and owner of Planty Sweet
I didn’t grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, but I fell in love with pumpkin spice treats. I have been making this plant-based, gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake for Planty Sweet customers for seven years now, and it’s an all-time favorite!
Planty Sweet is Albuquerque’s first 100 percent vegan and gluten-free cakery. They specialize in beautifully crafted cakes, Bundt cakes, and cheesecakes that one would never guess are vegan and gluten free.
Planty Pumpkin Cheesecake
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 2 cups cashews, soaked for 2 hours in water
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine flour, coconut sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add coconut oil and vanilla extract, and mix until fully combined. Spread mixture loosely and evenly onto a half sheet pan. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden. Let cool for about 20–30 minutes.
- Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap (for easy removal). Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan until about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside and make the filling.
Filling
- In a powerful blender or food processer, blend all ingredients until smooth. It is recommended to place soft ingredients like puree and coconut cream in the blender first. Be sure to scrape sides and blend again so mixture is consistently smooth. Pour filling onto prepared crust and freeze overnight or for at least 4–5 hours.
- Thaw for 2–4 hours in refrigerator (and keep refrigerated) before serving.
