Very Berry Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the base

• half a big pack of vegan digestives (e.g. Morrison’s own brand)
• 85 g/3 oz vegan margarine (e.g. Pure, Vitaquell)
• small handful of sunflower seeds

For the filling

• 1 block of firm tofu
• 1 small punnet of blueberries
• 1 small punnet of raspberries
• 1 small punnet of any other seasonal soft fruit you fancy (e.g. strawberries, blackcurrants or blackberries – you can also use frozen berries that have defrosted)
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 115 g/4 oz sugar
• 2-3 drops of a quality vanilla extract (or real vanilla)
• juice of ½ a lemon
• soya milk (keep a carton at hand)

Method

To make the base

Crush the biscuits into crumbs (e.g. in a food processor). Melt the margarine in a saucepan, add the biscuit crumbs and sunflower seeds, mix well and then press this mixture into the bottom and side of a round flan dish. Chill in the fridge.

To make the filling

Blend all the ingredients together with a small amount of soya milk, and then keep adding the soya milk until you get a thick, creamy consistency. Blend thoroughly. Then taste the mixture – depending on the tartness of the berries – you may need to add more sugar at this stage (or maple syrup, if you prefer). Once you’re satisfied with the sweetness, pour the mixture onto the biscuit crumb base.

Bake the cheesecake at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 in the middle of a preheated oven, for 25-30 minutes. Then leave to cool, and chill thoroughly in the fridge, before decorating (with berries) and serving with vegan vanilla ice-cream, or cream, plus an optional dash of maple syrup.