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There's
something very special about cheesecake. The palate
feel, the richness, and the depth of flavor make it
one of the most uniquely delicious desserts.
But
it's obvious that any dessert with the word "cheese"
in the title isn't going to be light on calories or
saturated fat. And that's what makes cheesecake a naughty
indulgence, to be enjoyed only on special occasions.
In
a perfect world there would be a way to make a delicious
cheesecake that was also good for you. Unfortunately,
cheesecake is one of those recipes that can never be
made truly healthy—if you still want it to taste
good. That said, with a few tweaks here and there it
can certainly be made healthier.
And
this recipe, while not exactly health food, contains
a lot less calories and saturated fat, and more nutrients
than a regular cheesecake.
Making
cheesecake healthier
The
way we're going to reduce the calories and saturated
fat in the cheesecake is by using low fat cream cheese
instead of full fat. Instead of using sour cream we'll
use ricotta cheese (which is naturally far lower in
fat than sour cream, but has a delightful taste and
texture). We're also going to use egg whites instead
of regular eggs, and to make the crust pliable we're
going to use a mixture of heart-healthy canola oil and
melted butter instead of just melted butter. Finally,
instead of using a really sugary topping (like cherry
pie filling), we're going to use sliced fresh strawberries
macerated with a little sugar and lemon juice. This
not only helps lower the calories, it also ups the nutrients
and fiber.
Lets
have a look at how these changes have impacted the nutritional
content:
The calories have been reduced by a third and the saturated
fat content has been halved—yet I can assure you
that our healthier cheesecake is still very rich and
delicious. Here's how to make this recipe at home:
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Combine
the cheesecake base mixture
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Mix
together 1 cup of Graham Cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons
of superfine (caster) sugar, 1½ tablespoons
of canola oil and 1½ tablespoons of melted
butter in a bowl. (If you live in a country
where Graham crackers aren't available, simply
use Digestive biscuit crumbs instead and omit
the sugar.)
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Bake
the mixture in the bottom of a spring-form pan
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Press
the crumb mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottom
of a 9-inch (23 cm) non-stick spring-form pan.
Bake in a preheated 160C/320F oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven (keep the oven at same temperature).
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Thoroughly
mix the cheesecake filling
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Place 16 oz (500g) ricotta cheese, 8 oz (250g)
light cream cheese (chopped into pieces), 4 egg
whites, ¾ cup superfine (caster) sugar
and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence in a food processor
or blender and process until thoroughly blended
and smooth.
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Pour
on the filling over the base and bake
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Pour
the filling mixture over the crust. Bake in the
preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven
and run a knife around the pan rim to loosen the
cake, then allow to cool before removing the rim
of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or
overnight.
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Serve
with macerated strawberry topping
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For
the cheesecake topping, remove the stems from
2 cups of ripe strawberries and cut in half.
MIX together 1½ tablespoons each of superfine
(caster) sugar, lemon juice and water in a bowl
until the sugar dissolves. Toss with the strawberries
to coat and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Top the cheesecake with the macerated strawberries
and cut into pieces to serve.
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