Sugarfree Cheesecake
Chef Minh Duong makes three cheesecakes of different flavors. No matter your favorite, each one has a rich, creamy filling. One would never guess they are sugarfree. Make sure you have plenty of moisture in the oven when baking cheesecakes; if you do not use a cheesecake pan set in a bain marie, place a separate pan of warm water in the oven with the cheesecake during baking.
Ingredients
- Chocolate Bases
- Unsalted Butter - 1-1/2 cups, melted
- Cocoa Powder - 3 tablespoons
- Cocoa Powder - 1/3 cup
- Vanilla Extract - 1 tablespoon
- All Purpose Flour - 3/4 cup
- Eggs - 8, slightly beaten
- Sugar Substitute (chef prefers Equal) - 3 tablespoons
- Cheesecake Filling
- Cream Cheese - 3 pounds
- Sugar Substitute - 1-1/2 cups
- Vanilla Extract - 2 tablespoons
- Sour Cream - 1-1/4 cups
- Cheesecake Flavorings
- Almond Extract - 2 tablespoons
- Lime Juice - 1/3 cup, lime juice to which a few drops of green food coloring has been added
- Chocolate syrup - 1/2 cup (3 tablespoons cocoa mixed with 1/3 cup water)
- Garnishes
- Yellow apple slices - tossed with a little lemon juice
- Red apple slices - tossed with a little lemon juice
Instructions
To prepare the chocolate bases: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter three 12-inch springform pans and line with parchment paper. Place melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix together cocoa powder and water; incorporate into the melted butter using a whisk. Add vanilla; mix well. Stir in the flour, eggs, and sugar substitute, mixing well after each addition. Divide batter between the prepared springform pans. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and reserve.
To prepare the cheesecake filling: Using a large mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar substitute, vanilla and sour cream. Mix well. Divide this mixture equally between three mixing bowls; add the almond extract to one, the lime juice and food coloring to another, and the chocolate to the third, stirring each to blend well. Pour each flavored cheesecake filling into a springform pan holding a cooled chocolate base; smooth fillings with a small spatula. (At this point, you will have 3 cheesecakes; one almond, one lime, and one chocolate). Bake cheesecakes 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 30 to 60 minutes; invert cheesecakes onto cardboard discs. Remove parchment paper.
To serve: Remove the cheesecakes from the springform pans. Using a knife that has been dipped into hot water, cut small wedges from each cheesecake. Place one of each flavor onto serving plates to form a stack of three. Garnish with fanned apple slices..
