Chocolate Tofu “Cheesecake”

By Iron Chef Leftovers

I have gotten a number of requests for this one, so by popular demand…here it is.

Yes, it has tofu in it, yes it has chocolate in it and yes, it is tasty. I am not much of a baker and I don’t really like baking to begin with. I do love cheesecake though, so I happened to be watching Alton Brown’s Good Eats Episode titled “Tofu World” and he made a “Moo-Less Chocolate Pie” – an amazingly easy, quick and tasty cheesecake substitute. The only baking involved is the pie crust and I have used store bought to cheat on this one. It takes about 10 minutes of prep time for this recipe if you are not making your own crust.

The Software

13 oz Chocolate – roughly chopped (I use 2 parts 55% dark chocolate, 2 parts 70% dark chocolate and 1 part white chocolate)

1/3 cup coffee liqueur

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound Silken Tofu (extra firm) drained

1 tablespoon honey

1 9 inch pie crust

The Pie

Pre-bake your crust (if necessary) and let cool. Melt the chocolate, liqueur and vanilla in a bowl over a sauce pan of simmering water, stirring often. (This can also be done in a microwave, but be careful of burning the chocolate). In a blender or food processor, combine the tofu, honey and chocolate and spin until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. That’s it. You have dessert. Serve with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or just eat it as is.

Notes

The original recipe calls for 13 oz of semisweet chocolate chips. It is fine to use that, but I found that using the combination of chocolate in the software section adds to a deeper chocolate flavor. I personally use a good chocolate like Callebaut or Schaffen-Berger, which are available just about everywhere these days (read – most mega marts carry them). You can substitute 1/3 cup of very strong coffee for the liqueur if you want. If you like it sweeter, add more honey, but I would recommend waiting until after everything is combined and tasted. This will set into the consistency of something resembling a dense cheesecake. If you want something more pudding like, I would recommend using a less firm silken tofu.