Creamy Tofu Cheesecake

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1/4 cup unrefined sugar crystals or sugar
2 eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine,
    melted, or Spectrum Spread

Filling
16 ounces silken tofu
16 ounces tofu cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, in a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the ground almonds and sweetener. With a fork, blend the butter, spread or margarine into the mixture until it clings together when you press a teaspoon of it between your fingers. Turn the mixture into a 8-inch springform pan. With your fingers or the back of a soup spoon, spread and pat the crust until it covers the bottom of the pan. Keep working the crust up the sides of the pan to a height of about 1 inch, leaving it thicker around the bottom edge, where the sides and bottom of the pan meet. Make sure the crust is thinner around the top edge. Bake the crust 8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

For the filling, pur?e the tofu in a food processor. Add the cream cheese and process to blend. Add the sugar and eggs and process to incorporate them completely. Blend in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Finally, blend in the arrowroot.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust, filling it to within 1/2 inch of the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 60 minutes. The cake will be golden on top, slightly browned around the edges, and still puffed and jiggling in the center. Turn off the heat BUT LEAVE THE CAKE sitting in the oven for 60 minutes. (It is okay to peek quickly once or twice.) The warm cake will still be just soft to the touch in the center. Set the cake on a rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover the cake lightly with foil and refrigerate 24 hours before serving.

NOTES: The cake will taste delicious once it is chilled through, but only reaches full creaminess after being refrigerated 8 hours, or overnight.

Spectrum Spread is a non-hydrogenated canola oil product made by Spectrum Naturals, Inc.