Vegan Lvivsky Syrnyk (Ukrainian Cheesecake)

Anastasia

5 years ago

Lvivsky Syrnyk is Ukrainian type of cheesecake made of cottage cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla. As I replaced cottage cheese with firm tofu many times before, I though it should work great in this recipe too.

Usually Lvivsky Syrnyk has denser and a bit grainy consistency than a normal one, yet my vegan version of it came out slightly different but surprisingly good. The texture is hard to describe, it is airy and lighter than all kinds of vegan cheesecakes out there.

I must say that all tofu tastes different. Some needs a lot of flavorings to overpower its bean flavor. In my case vanilla and lime was enough. Plus chocolate glaze helps to balance all the flavors. Although it’s not essential and you can serve your vegan syrnyk with vanilla sauce or berry compote.

Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C). Grease a bundt cake form and set aside.

Blend tofu, coconut milk, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, zest and juice of a lime in a blender until very smooth.

At this point taste the mixture and add more sugar/vanilla/lime. It depends on how strong is the bean flavor of your tofu.

Now add cornstarch and blend to incorporate.

Pour the batter into the cake form and tap it on a counter few times to get rid of air bubbles.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until the cheesecake is set, but slightly jiggles.

Let it cool completely in a cake form before turning it onto a plate. Lift off the form and place the cheesecake in a fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight.

To make the glaze melt dark chocolate and vegan butter over double boiler. Stir well and pour over the vegan syrnyk.

Put syrnyk back in the fridge for about 10 minutes to set and then serve.

Heat the knife before slicing so the glaze won’t break.

Vegan Lvivsky Syrnyk (Ukrainian Cheesecake)

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

My vegan version of delicious West Ukrainian dessert – Lvivsky Syrnyk.

Author: Anastasia
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 10
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Ukrainian, Vegan

Ingredients

500g drained firm tofu
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract (or seeds from 1 vanilla pod)
1 lime (zest and juice)
1/4 C cornstarch

For the glaze:

100g dark chocolate
1 tsp vegan butter or coconut oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C). Grease a bundt cake form and set aside.
Blend tofu, coconut milk, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, zest and juice of a lime in a blender until very smooth.
At this point taste the mixture and add more sugar/vanilla/lime. It depends on how strong is the bean flavor of your tofu.
Now add cornstarch and blend to incorporate.
Pour the batter into the cake form and tap it on a counter few times to get rid of air bubbles.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the cheesecake is set, but slightly jiggles.
Let it cool completely in a cake form before turning it onto a plate. Lift off the form and place the cheesecake in a fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight.
To make the glaze melt dark chocolate and vegan butter over double boiler. Stir well and pour over the vegan syrnyk.
Put syrnyk back in the fridge for about 10 minutes to set and then serve.