Tag Archive for cheesecake

Stars, Stripes, and Cheesecake

flag_1280x1024

We are posting this one today so you have time to prepare this beauty for the holiday weekend. This is a luscious lemony dessert that you would never guess to be sugar free, and even better, you can make it patriotic as all get out. The entire dessert was devoured and family approved.  It also keeps well so you can make it ahead, and then dress it up the day of your event.

I am getting more accustomed and comfortable using Stevia in recipes, and so far so good. A little goes a long way, and it doesn’t seem to leave that sweet aftertaste like Swerve does with some people. Don’t get me wrong, I love Swerve, but Stevia is great too! I am definitely going to stick with the Trader Joe’s Pure Stevia. It is the real deal! If you are looking for it in the store, you can find it with the supplements.

This dessert is similar to the Key Lime Cheesecake I shared a few weeks ago. I changed up the crust a little to try to create a denser, less flakey crust for easier cutting into bars, and it seemed to serve easier with a spatula. I actually had better luck cutting into bars after it cooled, but before I chilled it in the refrigerator.  This is a great tip for the future, but if you plan to decorate it like I did on this one, it is best to cut after everyone admires your handiwork.

Patriotic Lemon Berry Cheesecake

This recipe will yield a 9×13 and an 8×8 cheesecake.  If you only want one, half the recipe.

Before you start, you will want to bring your cream cheese and eggs to room temperature (a few hours) and preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Crust

1 1/2 cups Honeyville Almond Flour

1/2 cup Coconut Flour

2 Eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup butter (melted)

1 cup Swerve

1 tsp salt

Combine all your dry ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until you have a sand like mixture.

IMG_2890

IMG_2891

Add your eggs and butter.  Pulse until a ball of dough forms.

IMG_2893

Mix well and press into a 9 x 13 and an 8 x 8  pyrex.

IMG_2894

Bake at 325 for 12 minutes.

IMG_2898

Meanwhile prepare your mixer for the cheesecake.

Cheesecake Filling

4 – 8 oz packages of Cream Cheese

4 Eggs

3 Lemons zested and juiced

1 tsp Pure Stevia

Berries

IMG_2895

Place your very soft cream cheese in your mixer.

IMG_2896 IMG_2897

 

Turn your mixer onto medium to cream your cream cheese.  Add your eggs one at a time, and mix well in between each egg, scraping the sides as you go.

IMG_2899 IMG_2900

Zest and juice your lemons.

IMG_2916

IMG_2904 IMG_2903

 

IMG_2918

Add all the juice and zest to your cream cheese mixture.  Add your Stevia and mix well.

IMG_2905

Pour into your pyrex dishes.

IMG_2906

 

Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.

IMG_2912 IMG_2927

They actually looked the same, but the lighting was different.

Cool completely to room temperature.  Then place in the fridge to cool.

The next day or later in the day, whip up some whipped cream with heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and Swerve Confectioners.

“Ice” your cheesecake with the whipped cream.

I forgot to take a picture of the flag that I made on the 9×13 cake, but you can do an American flag with blueberries for the navy and do stripes with strawberry slices.

On the 8×8, I did a big star with blueberries and raspberries.  This is so fun to do with the kiddos!

IMG_2970

 

Let your friends and family ohh and ahh, but don’t tell them it’s sugar-free!  They will be amazed.  I love the way the lemon and fruit taste together for a special treat!

Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy!!!

 

Refreshing Summer Limealicious Dessert

Going Keto means no sugar, but it doesn’t mean no desserts!

Every once in a while, I like to experiment with sweet recipes.  Sometimes it is as easy as taking an old recipe and just replacing the sugar with Swerve or Stevia.  Sometimes it takes a little more creativity, and other times, I can find new Keto recipes online and adjust to our taste.

I was a legitimate sugaraholic before I started Keto.  I was one that had to have desserts after every meal.  Once I started on something sweet, I had to finish it, even if I was completely full!  Keto has helped with this sugar addiction tremendously.  I still like sweet, but I don’t crave it like I did.  We also keep sweets to a minimum so that the kids don’t expect something sweet after every meal.  It is always a special treat!

When I say addiction, sugar is a real addiction!  Did you know that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine?  In fact, sugar has almost the same molecular structure as cocaine.  That is a pretty scary statistic knowing all the diseases that sugar causes and progresses.  We will talk about this more, but sugar is BAD!!!!

I will no longer eat anything with sugar, but have substituted it with Swerve and Stevia.  I am also going to try chicory root in the near future too!  The following recipe uses Swerve.  Some, like my family, love Swerve and cannot tell the difference.  I have heard others say they experience an aftertaste.  I do sometimes taste sweet on my tongue when I drink water after eating something that was made with this substitute.  Overall, I think it is a great sweetener with no glycemic effect, no GMOs, and no digestive effects like Xylitol can have on some individuals.  It is all natural made with Erythritol, and is diabetes friendly and gluten free.  Another great component is that it measures just like sugar so you can use it in your old recipes when sugar is the only substitution needed.  It is great for us Ketoers.

We will do a post soon on all sweeteners, but Swerve is my primary go-to.  It can be purchased at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other health food stores, or online.  Even Amazon has it, and we have it in our Amazon store here.  There are two different kinds.   One is granular like white sugar (orange package), and the other is Confectioners Style (purple package) which is more like powdered sugar.  I use Confectioners in this one.

IMG_2681

The Granular is great for anything baked, but can get grainy when refrigerated.

IMG_2682

That being said, any time I make something cold, I use the Confectioners Style.

Without further ado, here is a scrumptious recipe for you to try that is perfect for summer!

 

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cup Honeyville almond flour

1/2 cup Swerve (Granular)

6 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

3 1/2 8 oz packages of Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup Swerve (Confectioners)

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1/2 cup Key Lime juice (Yes, it makes a difference – this part is time consuming so take that into account)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9×13 pyrex baking dish with butter or coconut oil.  Grease well!

Combine your almond flour, 1/2 cup of Swerve granular, cinnamon and melted butter.  I use my hands to really combine well because it is a thick crust-like consistency.IMG_0754

 

Press all the crust evenly into your baking dish or use a mini muffin pan with liners to make mini cheesecakes.

IMG_0755

IMG_0756

Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes.

For the filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat your room temperature cream cheese until soft and fluffy.

Add your cup of Swerve confectioners, and vanilla.  Continue to beat until well combined.  Add your eggs, one at a time, beating in between each.  Add your lime juice slowly, while beating constantly.  It should be fairly runny and smooth.

IMG_0759

Pour the mixture over your baked crust.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until firm.  (About 15-20 minutes for mini-muffins, but check because sizes can differ.) Cool completely, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

IMG_0760

Cut and enjoy.  Serve with Keto whipped cream if you desire for a super rich dessert.

IMG_0776

Note: This crust is delicious, but can be crumbly so use a very sharp knife and a spatula to remove from dish.