nobake cheescake. yummy.

[kaigou]

Craving cheesecake, but not craving the amount of sugar usually present in (American) cheesecake. But basically, cheesecake is really just cream+cream-cheese, right?

1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese (room-temperature)
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries
2 little pkgs of splenda

Whip heavy cream until stiff, then mix in cream cheese (at about a tablespoon at a time). Check flavor. It was a little too tart for me from the cream, so I added just two of the little teacup-measured packages of splenda, mixing well and trying again. Since the blueberries & blackberries have sweetness of their own, the splenda was just to take the barest edge off the tartness. Fold the fruit in, then serve. Or chill, and serve later.

The original recipe called for -- I am not making this up -- a half-cup of splenda. I guess that's the recipe for people who only want to taste sweet, and not actually taste the cheesecake. Or something. I mean, I like sweet, but I prefer it in minimal-moderation, because cream cheese has such a subtle flavor it'd be overwhelmed otherwise.

Oh, and a variant recipe I found called for only one cup of blueberries. I got blueberries & blackberries, figuring I'd have enough for another batch in a few days... but that's a lot of cream/cheese mix compared to fruit, so I doubled the fruit after all, and so every bite had a bit of fruit.

I suppose you could do a low-fat version (though I have no idea if it's even possible to whip non-fat heavy cream, which in itself seems like a contradiction in terms). But I go with the school of thought (underlined by ex's time as a chef, too) that fat's required to make you feel full, so a small amount won't hurt you.

Speaking of small amounts, most of the recipes said this would be four servings, but it's really more like six, maybe even eight. It's not like you need a whole ice-cream bowl. I had served up about a cup's worth for dessert last night, and the flavor's so rich that this was probably too much. About half that much might've been better.

Next up, butterscotch cheesecake. No, really!

Comments

[windsorblue]

Thank you for the bread! It made a lovely french toast, oh yes.

[kaigou]

Hahah, great minds and all that -- since CP was making the comment only a few minutes before you posted that the honey-bread recipe would probably make for great french toast. Glad you enjoyed (and thank you again, many times)!

[raletha]

This sounds like my kind of dessert! And perfect for these hot days. I bet my Dad would enjoy it, too, which would be great. He needs the calories.

I'm not a big fan of Splenda; do you think an alternative sweetener might work okay, like honey , maple syrup, or agave nectar? I'm never sure about subbing liquid sweeteners in case they make the final product too runny, but I guess cutting back the cream by an equivalent amount might do the trick?

[kaigou]

Replace it with confectioner's sugar, instead -- but remember that you're still talking only a teeny amount. Both types of sweeteners are really concentrated, after all. Maybe try a teaspoon, mix, and see how it tastes, and sprinkle/mix a little more in, taste again, until it's just right for you. Just remember that you want it to be a little less-sweet before you add the fruit, since those will add a lot of sweetness as well.

Alternately, you could also do it with other fruits that are higher in natural sugars, like bananas, strawberries, apricots, and plums. I guess it depends on whether you like "sugar-sweet" or just want "faint bit of sweet" -- in which case, a small bit of confectioner's sugar would probably be plenty.

Of course, you could always EXPERIMENT! Ehehehe. Oh, the agony, the suffering! "Sorry, that wasn't perfect, must make another batch!"

ETA: it might help to know that when I say "moderately sweet", I'm basically saying I like it "European-levels-of-sweet" and not the much higher "American levels of sweet".

[thejeopardymaze]

I have a feeling Mascarpone might be a bit better than cream cheese, but that's just due to my experience with those kinds of recipes. Maybe it's better if its made with raw dairy? But yeah, it looks good. I might use lactose sugar instead of splenda, if I can find a gluten-free version of it.

[kaigou]

I actually saw one recipe that substituted tofu for the cream cheese! I have no idea what that would do to the flavor -- I mean, tofu's such an incredibly subtle flavor, after all -- but it would certainly have substantial more protein than just cream cheese.

Maybe next time I'll halve the cream cheese and do the rest with tofu, instead. Hmmmm.

[thejeopardymaze]

Back in my vegetarian days I made those kinds of things with tofu. Never again. Ever. The only way I could make the taste of tofu less awful was add more and more flavorings and sugar. Fatty dairy or coconut milk doesn't need too much flavoring in it, because it doesn't have anything bitter to mask it. I can't imagine ever using it in desserts again.

[thejeopardymaze]

Maybe not bitter, but some kind of problem with the flavor that for some reason I forgot the right word for.

[kaigou]

It might make a difference that I actually really like the taste of tofu.

Ah,

[thejeopardymaze]

I'm one of those super tasters who pick up these things a bit too well, I guess.

[kaigou]

I am as well, since I was raised with a wide exposure to a huge variety of flavors that developed my taste buds very young. All the same, tofu is not tasteless to me, and it's a taste that I like.

Sounds good

[kraehe.livejournal.com]

Of course, I'm avoiding all sweeteners, artificial and otherwise, until I get to my goal weight, since they seem to make my insulin level rise, thereby prompting my body to store fuel.

But I'd forgotten about no-bake cheesecake. Will have to put that on my "woo, I made my goal" reward list.