You know what I love? I LOVE me some fine tasty desserts! But people are always filling their tasty sweets full of dairy and gluten and things that are on the ick list, and so I have a long standing dessert deficit... I mean, if it weren't for soy ice cream and gelato, I don't know what I would have done this long! But some days a frozen desert just isn't what you're looking for. What's a girl to do? Two words: Chi Cake.

You might be saying to yourself, my that looks like some tasty cheesecake... and IT IS. Not just to a person who can't have the real thing either. Several of my friends and coworkers have had this stuff, and gone back for seconds, and thirds and tenths...the consensus seems to be that it's amazing and that if they didn't know it wasn't real cheesecake, they wouldn't have asked. I personally love the pumpkin spice flavour, but am also a sucker for the plain (slightly lemony) with blueberry sauce on top, which most people have seemed to name as their number one. A chocolate hazelnut rounds out the flavour options, and there are occasionally some other flavours available.

Plus, being that it isn't made with real creamcheese, it is MUCH lower fat than real cheesecake. Now I'm not one to count calories, so what this means to me is that after eating an enormous slice of this stuff, I'm not going to feel like I just ate a brick of butter, and that's a good thing.

As a bonus, I've met the owner Alan a couple times, once at the Veg Food Fair, and once at my work when he delivered the surprise cheesecakes (or should I say, Chi Cakes) my bosses had gotten for my birthday (!) and he's truly lovely--just the kind of small business owner you'd want to sink your sweet tooth budget into.

Make sure you check out their brand spanking new website, especially the list of locations where you can get these tasty treats. If you're downtown, Trees Organic Coffee House (on Granville between Hastings and Pender) is where you want to go. You can also find Chi Cake at Capers on Robson and Wholefoods, through SPUD, and at Edible BC. Whether you're a vegan, have dairy allergies, are on a gluten-free diet, or are just looking for some super tasty cheesecake that you won't regret having eaten a half hour later, I highly recommend you give it a try!

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