There’s a new sugar-free sweetener in town and it’s pretty incredible! It tastes just like sugar, without any bitterness or aftertaste. I love it!Ā Meanwhile, I teach you how to make this delicious gluten free sugar free cheesecake, without any cracks! Enjoy!
Monk Fruit Sweetener:
If you can afford to use monk fruit sweetener, go for it because it tastes just like sugar; contains zero net carbs, zero calories, and is a zero glycemic sweetener. It’s quite pricey though.
Gum:
While the crust is gum-free, the entire recipe is not because of the gum in cream cheese. My flour blend also contains gum; however, you can use a starch such as cornstarch which contains grains and fiber, which reduces the carbs.
The Crust:
As shown in the photo, my experiment using 1 cup of superfine almond flour, 1 cup hazelnut flour/meal, 2 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener, and 7 tablespoons of unsalted butter was a flop. It turned out with a sandy texture. So, instead, I suggest one of my favorite flourless pecan crust recipes. You can just use some monk fruit sugar in place of other sugars.
What to Do to Avoid Cracks in Your Cheesecake:
- Add a little flour or starch to the filling.
- Bake in a water bath for even cooking.
- Most importantly, cool very slowly; never create a sudden temperature change.
Ingredients:
- Pecan Crust
- 3 tablespoons monk fruit sugar
- 2 (8-ounce) packages gluten-free cream cheese, at room temperature (Philadelphia)
- 2 cupsĀ gluten freeĀ cultured cottage cheese*, pureed
- 3 - 4 large eggs (1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons)
- 3/4 cup monk fruit sugar
- 3 tablespoons Carlaās Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend**
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 7 tablespoons (3-1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions:
- Make the pecan pie crust as instructed at the above link substituting 3 tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener for the granulated and brown sugars; set on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F.
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl of your electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the pureed cottage cheese and mix until smooth.
- Add the mong fruit sweetener; beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour and vanilla and beat on medium just until incorporated.
- Add the cooled, melted butter a little at a time while the mixer runs on low speed; set aside.
- Once the crust is cool, double wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with aluminum foil (just in case your pan leaks).
- Pour the batter into the prepared crust, and distribute evenly. Place the cheesecake inside a roasting pan (or a baking sheet, if that's all you have) and fill halfway up the pan with boiling water. Bake on center rack of oven for 30 minutes.
- Decrease the temperature to 325Ā°F. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and allow to slowly cool for 20 minutes with oven door closed. (Door closed 20 minutes.)
- Open the oven door and slide out the shelf. Using a butter knife, loosen the edges of the cheesecake away from the springform pan. Do not remove the ring.
- Place the shelf and cheesecake back in the oven, but this time, leave the door cracked about 8-inches or so. Allow the cheesecake to cool an additional 1 hour and 10 minutes. (Door cracked open 1 hour.)
- Remove from the water bath and place directly on a chopping board or other non-cold, flat surface for 10 minutes. (Flat surface 10 minutes.)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 2-1/2 hours. (Wire rack 2-1/2 hours.)
- Cover the springform pan with plastic wrap. RefrigerateĀ uncovered at least 4 hours and then preferably covered, overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove the ring, slice, and garnish as desired. However, you can garnish the entire cake prior to slicing. I added some NuNaturals NuStevia Sugar-Free Cocoa Syrup*** in circles and then drug a toothpick through several areas, which creates nice slice lines as well. However, unlike chocolate ganache, it bleeds when refrigerated. So, do not do this in advance.) Serve cold.
- To store, cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. Alternatively and ideally, store with a cake cover such as a Tupperware cake carrier.
Tips
*Feel free to substitute the 2 cups of pureed cottage cheese for one package of cream cheese and 1 cup gluten free sour cream. If using full fat cottage cheese or sour cream, you may omit the 4 tablespoons of butter.
**If you prefer to lower the carbs in this recipe, you may substitute cornstarch for the gluten free all-purpose flour, but you'll need to add about 1/4 teaspoon guar or xanthan gum mixed into the cornstarch. Other starch substitutes include potato starch and arrowroot powder. However, cornstarch is lower carb.
***NuNaturals NuStevia sugar-free cocoa syrup does not contain gluten ingredients. Ingredients: Glycerin, water, *organic cocoa (processed with alkali), and stevia extract. The company stated that this product is gluten free.