{Recipe} Tofu Cheese Tart

So I was craving for Cake Spade's Tofu Cheesecake, and the boy mentioned he felt like eating tarts... hence this came about :)

I remember reading somewhere that Cake Spade's tofu cheesecake do not actually include tofu in their recipe, they named it this way because they thought the texture resemble tofu's :) Correct me if I'm wrong!

I chose a tofu-based recipe nonetheless as I wanted a healthier alternative; plus I love tofu!

 Tofu Cheese Tart

Ingredients:

Basic Pâte Sucrée/Sweet Tart Pastry

150g COLD unsalted butter
90g icing sugar
30g ground almonds
250g all-purpose flour
1 egg
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp vanilla bean paste/extract

Tofu Cheesecake Filling

250g cream cheese
200g silken tofu

 90ml warm water
2tbsp gelatin powder
45g softened unsalted butter
 75g caster sugar 

3 tbsp lemon juice (more if you like it sour)

Method:

1. For the tart crust, preheat the oven to 180ºC. Sift flours, ground almonds, salt and icing sugar together. 

2. Add in the cold diced butter, and using only your fingertips, gently ‘rub in’ the butter into the flour a little at a time. Work quickly to prevent the butter from turning too soft. Repeat until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. 

3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract until the breadcrumbs come together to form a ball. Gently knead the dough on a clean countertop and shape it into a flat disc. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate. Chill for about 20 minutes or overnight.

 4. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3-5mm. Line and butter the pan and lay dough on it. Trim off excess dough and gently prick the dough with a fork to remove excess air.
    
  5. Freeze the tart crusts for at least 10 minutes to minimize shrinkage. Line the tarts with baking paper and dried rice or beans and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 180ºC, or until the tart crust turns a golden brown. Cool the tarts in their cases for about 10 minutes, then remove to cool on a wire rack.

6. For the cheesecake filling, sprinkle gelatin powder on warm water and stir to dissolve. You can microwave it for a few seconds to aid the process. Set aside to cool.

7. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, silken tofu and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides if necessary. 

8. Beat in sugar till well-incorporated before adding in lemon juice and gelatin, beat till well-mixed. The end batter will be runny and smooth.

9. Pour the batter through a sieve into the tart shell to remove clumps. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

 I topped the otherwise plain tart with drizzles of speculoos spread and chocolate ganache! Sprinkled hazelnut wafers and chopped almonds for texture ;)

Really liked the way it turned out - like an overgrown tart :-)  

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