It’s my hubby’s birthday, and he has requested a gluten free cheesecake. His favorite desserts are chocolate; therefore, I topped it with a chocolate topping (ganache), but it is optional. A cheesecake with a chocolate topping does not need to be very sweet. So, I cut back on the sugar in this cheesecake recipe. My guests love it!
Gluten free cheesecake would normally call for the use of gluten free graham crackers, which do exist, but I made a graham cracker-like crust instead, using some sorghum flour. Sorghum flour is a great substitute for wheat flour (which is the main ingredient in a graham cracker) though it does not taste very good alone, at least, to me. When the crust came out of the oven, I was in heaven! The fragrance was familiar, yet unique. I wanted to taste it right away. I can’t wait to use this recipe to make actual graham crackers. When I do, I will let you know if it turns out crispy enough. Meanwhile, enjoy this recipe. I must say, this is now my favorite gluten free dessert, next to my Gluten Free Pear Corn Muffins. Let me know how this recipe turns out for you if you try it.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup oat flour (or sorghum flour)
- 1/3 cup rice flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon sorghum flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup corn starch (or potato starch if corn-free)
- 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) gluten free oats, ground or flour (Use more sorghum if you're oat intolerant.)
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of sea salt
- 6 Tablespoons butter (room temperature)
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons warm water (just warm enough to dissolve honey)
- 2 (8 ounce) packages gluten free cream cheese, at room temperature (Philadelphia)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 cups gluten-free sour cream
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Gluten Free Ganache Recipe
Instructions:
- Remove butter and cream cheese from refrigerator so that it comes to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients for crust.
- With a pastry cutter or 2 knives cut butter into dry ingredients.
- Add water, honey and vanilla together in a cup and whisk thoroughly; add to dry ingredients and blend until a dough is formed; allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- Press the dough onto the bottom of a 10" springform pan and up the sides about 1/4" to 1/2".
- Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes. If you see the crust browning remove it immediately.
- In a mixing bowl, blend on high until smooth, cream cheese, sugar and flour.
- Add eggs, one at a time; blend until creamy, scraping sides as necessary.
- Add sour cream and vanilla; then add milk slowly; blend on medium speed until creamy. Do not over beat, as this will cause air bubbles which will cause the cake to fall upon cooling.
- Pour cream filling on top of the crust. With potholders, hit the pan several times on a solid heat-proofed surface to even out the filling and release some air bubbles.
- Place a shallow pan full of water on the bottom rack. This will prevent cracking of the cheesecake.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F; lower temperature to 250°F and bake for 75 -90 minutes or until the cheesecake is firm with the middle still a bit jiggly. If you see any browning around the top edges definitely remove it at that time.
- Refrigerate overnight to chill. Once chilled the center will sink in a bit, leaving a nice edge to hold the topping.
- Make gluten free ganache recipe. Pour over top of cheesecake to fill up the well, reserving some for rim; smooth quickly before chocolate sets. Drip the sauce from a spoon along the top of the rim, forcing it to drip in both directions and a little down the sides every few inches. Refrigerate the cheesecake several hours; Slice and serve.
Tips
You can use any topping you wish: strawberry glaze, cherry glaze, etc.
If you have a pastry bag and decorating tips you can add decorative additions with sweetened whipped cream.
If you wish to hide all the imperfections of the cheesecake make 1.5 times the chocolate sauce and use the whole thing or enough to hide imperfections.
If you’re a cream cheese lover and wish a heavier cake you may substitute 8 oz. of sour cream with 8 oz. of cream cheese.
If you over cook the cheesecake it may crack during baking or during the cooling process. Just take the back of tablespoon and smash the upper layers into the cracks so that the top of the cake is flat.
Hi there.
You have sorghum flour listed twice in the crust recipe. Is this an error?
Helen,
Thanks for catching that error!
The first one should read “1/2 cup oat flour (or sorghum flour). I have used both and they both turn out great.
I have corrected the recipe above.
Happy holidays!
Carla
Do you have nutritional values and servings for the cheesecake? I’m particularly interested in carbohydrate and calorie count.
Also, can a mix of sugar and Splenda be used in place of all sugar?
Thanks
Hi Lynn,
You can use http://caloriecount.about.com/ for the nutritional values. I no longer use that recipe for chocolate ganache. I use the one here: http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/chocolate-gluten-free-donuts-doughnuts I’ll would have updated the recipe above, but I am not sure how much will be needed for this cheesecake.
I don’t know how Splenda would turn out, as it has a bit of an after taste.
Splenda is an artificial sweetener, and very unhealthy for the body. Consider using a product such as “Stevia in the Raw” instead. It replaces sugar cup for cup equally. However, it’s naturally so sweet you can even use a little less.
For the oat flour in the crust what is the correct measurement? Should it only be 2 tablespoons, as 1/8 cup is equivalent to 2 tablespoons not 4.
Now fixed. Sorry about that!
I really like the way you made the crust! And the chocolate ganache topping is a perfect idea!
Also, thanks for submitting to Gluten Free Feed; more, please! :)
sound wonderful
Thanks Christina!