Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Kolache

At the end of 2022 I went on a weekend trip to Prague where I had the pleasure of trying a kolache for the first time. This recipe is heavily inspired by the delicious berry cheesecake kolaches I had at Kolacherie in Prague, if you're ever in the city I highly recommend checking them out. If you're not in Prague however, this recipe is to satisfy you when those kolache-cravings hit.

Ingredients:

Dough:

400g all purpose flour

250ml unsweetened soy milk

50g vegan butter

60g granulated sugar

6g dry yeast

0,5 tsp fine table salt

Method: In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Mix well. Melt butter in a saucepan, add the soy milk and heat until the mix reaches body temperature. Pour the wet mix into the dry and knead well until you have a smooth dough. Cover and rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour, until about doubled in size. Once rested, knock the air out and divide into dough balls that are about 60-70g. Roll into little buns, place on a few trays lined with parchment paper and make sure they have plenty of room between them to rise. Cover again and rest for another 50-60 minutes. Meanwhile, make your fillings.

Blueberry filling: 100g frozen blueberries

1ts lemon juice

1.5tsp corn starch

1.5tsp water

2tbsp granulated sugar

Method: Add blueberries, lemon juice and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Combine corn starch and water and slowly pour into the blueberry mixture while stirring. Keep simmering until the mixture has thickened and set aside to cool.

Cheesecake filling:

300g silken tofu

20g full fat coconut milk

1tsp corn starch

70g powdered sugar

1tsp nutritional yeast

a few pinches of salt to taste

2tsp sitronjuice

Method: Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Streusel:

30g vegan butter

30g granulated sugar

50g all purpose flour

Method: Combine all ingredients in a bowl until you have a crumbly mixture to sprinkle on top of your kolache.

Glaze: 1tbsp butter

1tbsp maple syrup

Method:

Melt the butter, add the maple syrup and stir to combine.

This is how your kolache should look before going in the oven.

To assemble and bake: Once your dough balls have rested, use your fingers to press gently into the middle of each dough ball to make an indent into each bun. You can use a small espresso glass or shot glass dipped in flour to expand the dent until it looks like a bun with a fluffy ring around it and a flat centre. Make sure not to make a hole all the way through as that will cause the filling to seep through. Brush the glaze on each of the kolache at this stage. Spoon in about 1 tsp of both the blueberry and cream cheese mixture into the indent on each bun. Sprinkle on the streusel mixture on top. Bake each tray (I recommend baking one at a time) in the middle of a preheated oven at 180C for about 15 minutes. Let the buns cool on a wire rack before serving.