Gloria Clay asked to share her vegan cheesecake recipe that was a first place winner in the Lucky Leaf Personal Creation contest. She wants others to see the recipe and to raise awareness to cruelty-free eating.

Vegan No Bake Premium Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake
By Gloria Clay

Makes 10 to 12 servings
Feel free to use any vegan brand ingredients for this recipe.

Ingredients for crust made in a 10-inch spring form pan:
10 graham crackers
1/3 cup melted vegan butter
20 Biscoff cookies more or less for the perimeter of spring form pan

Filling:
¾ cup coconut butter
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp fresh lime juice
½ cup vegan plant milk
3 Tbsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup vegan sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
Two 8 ounce containers of vegan cream cheese
4 Tbsp melted coconut oil
8 ounce tub vegan whip cream
21 oz. can Lucky Leaf Premium Strawberry Filling
[Editor’s note: Since this was a Lucky Leaf contest, their brand strawberry filling was used; however, feel free to make your own strawberry filling by cooking down fresh organic strawberries, etc. Easy recipes can be found online.]

Fresh fruit to top our cake:
2 cups strawberries
1 cup black berries

First let’s start off by making the crust for the cheese cake. Place crackers in a bag; use a rolling pin to crush. Placed crushed crackers in bowl with melted butter and stir until well coated. Pour crust into a buttered pan and use spatula to press the crumbs down firmly in pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 8 minutes and let cool. After crust cools, place Biscoff cookies around the perimeter of the pan.

Now on to the cream cheese filling. In a mixing bowl, place coconut butter, lemon and lime juice, plant milk, vanilla, sugar and lemon zest. Blend together with a hand held mixer on high for 5 minutes until completely smooth.

In a separate bowl whip cream cheese until smooth on medium for 3 minutes, add coconut butter mixture to bowl with cream cheese mixture and mix until fully cooperated. Now beat mixture on medium speed for 3 minutes. Next pour in melted coconut oil and mix until well combined. Fold in whip cream.

Spread cream mixture smoothly over prepared crust in spring form pan. Place premium Strawberry Filling on top. Let sit covered in fridge for 3 hours. When ready to serve top with your choice of fresh berries.

Gloria Clay is married with 4 grown sons and three grandchildren from Bennettsville, SC. She loves to cook and inspire other to try vegan/vegetarian dishes. She says: “I cook from my soul to feed the souls of others.”