As I was looking for new holiday recipes, I happened upon this one. Cheesecake. Really? Cheesecake on FMD???? I read it over, and totally did not believe it would be good. I read through comments and found most people wanted to make it. Then I got to the reviews from people who had made it. Most were positive. A couple were negative. I decided to try a half batch of the batter to see what is up. I made the necessary changes to make it fit FMD- always a challenge!
It was tasty... but eggy to me. So I tried a second time. Cashews are expensive right now and I was not about to waste any! And you know what? This is it! Winner winner, cheesecake dinner. Er, not really dinner, per se, but, you get the idea!
I will warn you that this is a 2 day process (or one very long day). You have to soak the cashews for 8 hours, and after the cheesecake is baked, it MUST chill in the fridge over night. I know I am torturing all of my fellow cheesecake lovers out there, but trust me- It IS worth the work and the wait!!
Also- don't be put off my the cauliflower- you do not taste it at ALL!
This cheesecake is tangy and has a glorious creamy mouth feel. It looks like cheesecake and I would be hard pressed to tell it from a full on real dairy cheesecake!
Top it with fruit or leave it plain.
Enjoy!
Pro Tip: On baking day, I highly suggest that you measure every ingredient out and put into little bowls or cups. Pretend you are on a cooking show. It will really help!! And it will save time.
**** Note: I do not have subs for any ingredient, as this is how I made it. I cannot attest to how any substitutions would work out.
Cheesecake
Phase 3
The Crust
1 ½ cups
almond meal
¼ cup
coconut oil, melted
2T cashew or
almond butter
1 tsp sea
salt
¼ cup
xylitol
½ tsp ground
cinnamon (optional)
Mix all the
ingredients together, then press into the bottom of a spring form pan. You can
also use a deep pie plate, or a shallow casserole dish.
Set aside. You can make this on day 1, or day of baking.
Filling:
2 cups raw
cashew pieces, soaked overnight
1 cup full
fat coconut milk from a can
1 ½ cups raw
cauliflower, chopped
1 cup
xylitol
¼ cup water
¼ tsp baking
soda
¾ cup
coconut oil, melted
1 tsp sea
salt
1T apple
cider vinegar
1T pure
vanilla extract
4 large eggs
Juice of 2
lemons
Zest of 1
lemon
Zest of half
an orange
¼ cup
tapioca flour (or arrowroot powder)
Day 1- Soak
the cashews in filtered water for 8 hours or overnight. Rinse.
Combine the
water and xylitol in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat just until the
xylitol is dissolved. Pour into a jar and cool. Cover and refrigerate until
baking day.
Grate or
chop the cauliflower and add to pan. Add a half cup of water, cover and steam
the cauliflower on the stove. Cook until soft and drain. Let the cauliflower
cool for a few minutes, until it can be handled safely with your bare hands,
and then squeeze it as dry as you possibly can (you could do this by pressing
the cauliflower down a fine mesh sieve or wringing it with a tea towel). Put in
fridge until baking day.
Day 2 -Preheat
the oven to 350F
Bring 3-4
cups of water to a boil. You will need this for baking the cheesecake.
Rinse the
cashew pieces under running cold water and add them, along with the coconut
milk to the bowl of your food processor, or Vitamix. Process until real smooth
and creamy, about 5 minutes for a food processor, just a minute or so for high
speed blender.
Add reserved
cauliflower and resume processing until really smooth again.
Add xylitol
simple syrup, coconut oil, salt, apple cider vinegar, baking soda and vanilla and then
resume processing until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Throw in the
lemon and orange zest and juice and mix to combine.
In a large
bowl, whip the eggs until foamy. Add the cashew mixture and using the wire
whip, mix very well, until the mixture is silky and smooth. Add arrowroot (or
tapioca) and whisk again until smooth.
Pour over
the reserved crust.
If using a
spring form pan, place the pan over a piece of aluminum foil and fold it up
around the pan. You only need the foil on the bottom for a spring form pan. Cover
the top tightly with foil, regardless of the pan. Now place your cake in a
rimmed roasting pan, and set on your oven rack. Carefully pour some boiling water
into the roasting pan so it goes to about ¼ of the way up the side of the pan.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350, then decrease the temperature to 250F and bake for
another 90 minutes.
Check the cake-
if the center is jiggly, continue to bake for 15 minutes at a time until no
longer jiggly.
Turn off the
oven. Leave the cake in the oven, undisturbed, for about 1 hour, or until cool
enough to be handled with your bare hands, and then slide it out of the oven.
When the
“cheesecake” is completely cooled, refrigerate uncovered for at least 6 hours,
preferably overnight.
Top with
your favorite fruit or enjoy plain.
The entire
cheesecake is approximately 24 standard healthy fat servings.
Carolyn - I got a bit confused .... you are to bake this covered with foil the entire period?
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteCan I sub coconut sugar for xylitol?
ReplyDeleteIf you are following FMD, coconut sugar is only for maintenance. It is up to you if you want to use it during phase 3
DeleteWhat size spring form pan did you use?
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't use a spring form pan. I used a casserole dish.
DeleteCan I use a different flour if I am out of almond meal? Is almond meal the same as almond flour?
ReplyDeleteAlmond meal and almond flour are generally the same thing. I have not used any other flour, so I cannot speak to how another flour would work. If you choose a grain, it changes the portions.
DeleteYou could finely chop pecans to use, also. Just chop them up in the food processor, if you have them
the first part of the directions tell you to soak the cashews and then rinse. Add water to xylitol. How much water?
ReplyDeleteThe amount is listed in the ingredients list
DeleteThe filling ingredients list, I mean... it's part of the filling
Delete